Johnson invites residents to chat at upcoming Coffee & Connect event

• Event
• In the district
• Coffee & Connect

BUFFALO GROVE – To give people the opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns and get updates about what’s going on in Springfield, State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) is inviting residents to attend the first session of her monthly outreach event series, Coffee & Connect.

“The best part of being an elected official is getting to know the members of the community, but the pandemic has made it more difficult to connect with each other,” Johnson said. “Coffee & Connect will give us a chance to meet and chat safely about how we can work together to make our community even stronger.”

The first Coffee & Connect session will be held Saturday, April 17 at 10 a.m. via Zoom. To participate in the event, register to receive the Zoom link at www.SenatorAdrianeJohnson.com/CoffeeConnect.

Each monthly Coffee & Connect will serve as an open forum for community members to engage in informal conversations with the senator and each other about issues facing the region and the state.

The event is open to any resident of the 30^th District, which includes parts of Waukegan, Buffalo Grove, Vernon Hills, Mundelein, North Chicago, Wheeling, Gurnee, Park City, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Beach Park.

Johnson plans to host Coffee & Connect sessions on the third Saturday of each month. The events will be virtual at first, but may transition to in-person gatherings if conditions allow.

For information on future Coffee & Connect sessions and other upcoming events, visit www.SenatorAdrianeJohnson.com or connect with Senator Johnson on Facebook and Twitter.

Johnson: Local schools will receive more than $92 million in federal funding

• Education

BUFFALO GROVE – State Senator Adriane Johnson is announcing that school districts in the 30th District will receive an estimated $92,629,180 in additional funding to help address the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When the pandemic put a pause on classroom learning, our teachers stepped up and put in countless hours of additional planning to keep students engaged remotely,” Johnson said. “This much-deserved funding will give teachers and schools the support they need to fully return to in-person lessons safely.”

The funding comes as part of the most recent federal COVID-19 relief package. Schools, students and parents have overcome challenges that no one could have imagined before the pandemic began, including remote and hybrid learning, digital connection issues, new processes for receiving state and federal aid that normally flow through schools, and more.

Local school districts are set to receive the following amounts:
• Gurnee SD 56 - $2,824,532
• Waukegan CUSD 60 - $62,698,166
• Rondout SD 72 - $80,624
• Hawthorn CCSD 73 - $3,104,257
• Mundelein ESD 75 - $1,949,968
• Kildeer Countryside CCSD 96 - $939,787
• Aptakisic-Tripp CCSD 102 - $880,057
• Lincolnshire-Prairieview SD 103 - $286,406
• Mundelein Cons HSD 120 - $2,176,106
• Adlai E Stevenson HSD 125 - $1,029,293
• CHSD 128 - $740,601
• North Chicago SD 187 - $15,919,383

Read more …

Johnson urges residents to get vaccinated at new state-run site in Waukegan

• Coronavirus
• Waukegan
• Health
• Vaccination
• In the district

BUFFALO GROVE – With COVID-19 test positivity rates and hospitalizations on the rise, State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) urges Lake County residents to wear masks, practice social distancing and take advantage of a new state-run vaccination site opening in Waukegan on April 1.

“A resurgence of COVID-19 could endanger lives and livelihoods in our community. We cannot risk a backslide,” Johnson said. “The vaccine is our most effective defense against the virus—please don’t let your guard down, and get vaccinated as soon as you are able.”

Starting Wednesday, April 1, a state-supported vaccination site administering 400 doses a day will open at 102 W. Water St. in Waukegan, which is currently serving as a state-run COVID-19 testing site. Appointments are required and can be made through the Lake County Health Department AllVax Portal. Residents must meet the state’s current eligibility requirements to book an appointment.

More than 4.8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the state, and nearly 1.8 million residents—about 14% of the population—are fully vaccinated. However, despite this progress, the Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting increases in rates of COVID-19 test positivity and hospital admissions, signaling a possible resurgence.

These metrics will need to be appropriately addressed and resolved before Illinois can move into the Bridge Phase, when capacity limits on restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and other establishments will loosen.

“This past year hasn’t been easy on anyone, but we have almost made it to the finish line. The sooner we get vaccinated, the sooner life can return to normal,” Johnson said.

A statewide list of COVID-19 vaccine providers is available here.

Johnson: Rooting out racism in health care is a matter of life and death

• Health
• Illinois Legislative Black Caucus
• Mental health

BUFFALO GROVE – With the life expectancy gap between Black and white Americans at its widest since 1998, State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) said it’s more urgent than ever to enact the reforms proposed in House Bill 158, which seeks to eliminate racism and improve equity in Illinois’ health care system.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing racial disparities in health and health care across the country, and these effects will linger in our communities long after we have defeated the virus,” Johnson said. “It’s time that every Illinoisan—including Black and Brown Illinoisans—has the support and resources they need to be well.”

Johnson is a co-sponsor of the initiative, which represents the health and human services pillar of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’s four-pillar agenda aimed at ridding Illinois of systemic racism.

The legislation contains a number of measures to expand services and improve health outcomes for underserved communities, including a provision to ensure health care workers undergo implicit bias training in order to root out racial prejudice in the delivery of medical care.

To fight the recent alarming rise in maternal and infant mortality rates, which are even higher among mothers and babies of color, the legislation would improve peri- and postnatal care in Illinois by increasing access to doulas and home visiting programs and preserving the availability of OB/GYN services in safety net hospitals.

Additionally, the initiative would support Illinoisans’ mental wellness starting at a young age by providing training to day care center and school staff on the topics of early childhood social emotional learning, infant and early childhood mental health, early childhood trauma, and adverse childhood experiences.

Other provisions address access to health care, hospital closures, Medicaid managed care organization reform, community health worker certification and reimbursement, hospital reform, and mental health and substance use treatment.

“Rooting out systemic racism in the health care system is a matter of life and death,” Johnson said. “This legislation takes long-overdue steps to support underserved communities and give all Illinoisans the thoughtful, high-quality medical care they need and deserve.”

House Bill 158 passed the Senate with a vote of 41-16 and now awaits the governor’s signature.