MCHD Acknowledges COVID-19 Exposure and Takes Prompt Action

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•August 20, 2020•
Sometimes the enemy is closer than one thinks. The Moultrie County Health Department (MCHD) has received notice of a COVID-19 exposure in its office. For the safety of those the department serves and to reduce the risk of further COVID-19 transmission, the MCHD building will be closed to the public through Thursday, August 27, 2020. Until then, the health department will remain partially staffed and available for calls during regular business hours. Due to concerns about potential identification, additional information about the case/exposure is not being released.

“It is essential that we continue to serve our county to the best of our ability during this critical period,” said Moultrie County Health Department Administer Angela Hogan, RN, MSPH. “Staff and services will remain available as feasible by phone, Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m. - noon and 1- 4:30 p.m. Please call our office at 217-728-4114 if you need to schedule an appointment or to obtain immunization records, information or other assistance.”

Hogan noted that cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in Moultrie County and asks that all individuals join the department in reducing the transmission of the COVID-19 virus. She expressed confidence in our ability to achieve this reduction and reiterated the following four steps:
Wear a mask when in public or with anyone who is not a household member;
Watch physical distance from others in social situations and gatherings;
Wash hands frequently;
Stay home if ill or experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19.
Hogan goes on to say, “To every person in Moultrie County, the MCHD Staff greatly appreciates your patience and understanding during this challenging time. We are in this battle together, and our staff will continue to do our part to assist you in every way possible. Please do your part to protect each other and reduce the burden which COVID-19 places on our residents, schools, businesses and communities.”

For more information on the Moultrie County Health Department’s news, events and services and COVID-19 updates, please visit www.moultriehealth.org and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/moultriecountyhealth.

Sincerely,

Glenda Plunkett

Moultrie County Public Health Department

Public Health Services Coordinator

202 S. Main St. l Sullivan, IL 61951

Office: (217) 728-4114 l Fax: (217) 728-2650

Sunflower Field

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Photo by R.R. Best
Luke and Melanie Beyers sunflower field in rural Sullivan. Luke plants the flowers every year to feed the birds. Sunflowers can grow to 120 inches or more.

Sullivan School District’s Return to School Plan

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Both in-person and remote options are available

•August 19, 2020•
by Ariana Cherry
NP Writer

According to the Sullivan School District’s “Return to School Plan” handbook, “Sullivan CUSD #300 believes that on-site learning can occur with proactive measures and collaborative efforts from stakeholders.”
The Sullivan School district is providing both in-person and remote learning options in order to meet the variety of needs from its students. Should the regional and local statistics and metrics change, the district will be reaching out both to the Moultrie County Health Department and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
As stated in its “Return to School Plan,” the district says, “We are working diligently to bring our students back to school safely. The safety measures that the school district is taking include:
• Require the use of face coverings (e.g. masks) and appropriate protective equipment.
• Require additional hand hygiene measures including hand sanitizer in each room.
• Prohibit more than 50 individuals from gathering in one space.
• Require social distancing to be observed as much as possible.
• Require individuals to self-certify that they are symptom free before entering onto school buses and into school buildings.
• Require an increase in school wide cleaning and disinfecting. Read More

Two Car Accident

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Photo by R.R. Best
Two Car Accident At Intersection Of Route 32 and County Road 800N
A two car accident occurred at the intersection of Route 32 and County Road 800N on August 11 at 3:47 pm. The driver of the Dodge Caravan was ticketed for failure to yield. The driver of the Dodge Caravan was uninjured but the driver of the other vehicle was transported to Sarah Bush Lincoln where they were treated and released.

County Board Rescinds Action Consolidating Precincts

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•August 19, 2020•
By Crystal Reed
NP Reporter

The Moultrie County Board voted to rescind a motion and action from the June 9, 2020 county board meeting which consolidated Sullivan Precincts 1 and 6 into Sullivan 1 and Sullivan 2 and 5 into Sullivan 2, placing them back to their original precincts and polling locations during their meeting last Thursday.
State statutes limit the size of precincts to a maximum 800 voters but there are a number of precincts throughout the state of Illinois that exceed that. “Consolidation would have saved the county several thousands of dollars and its actually costing us some money to put it back as it was,” Dave McCabe said.
The board heard from Derek Righter about the Final FY2019 audit by West and Co. prior to approving the audit. The fund balance increased by about $200,000 said Ryder. “Dispersements and depreciation increased by $840,000 over the previous year because the county highway had a resurfacing project that had $180,000 more this year over the previous year,” he noted “the special bridge had two projects with Dora township and Jonathan Creek township and that increased expenses by $130,000. Also, the general fund was up by $260,000 which is mainly attributable to health insurance, there was an increase in claims. Read More

Check Presented To Sullivan School District For LED Lighting Project

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Check Presented To Sullivan School District For LED Lighting Project
A check was presented to Sullivan School District #300 on Tuesday from the Illinois Municipal Electric Association in the amount of $17,993.74 as a rebate for their LED project at Sullivan Elementary School. The entire building was upgraded to LED lighting and the district should see $750 to $800 a month utility savings. The IMEA offers grant money for upgrades like this and for individuals as well. Pictured from left to right: Mike Fowler, Sullivan Mayor Richard Glazebrook, Kevin Landrus, Sullivan School Board President Jeff White and Sullivan Superintendent Ted Walk.

14 Illinois Counties at Warning Level for Coronavirus Disease

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•August 14, 2020•

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 14 counties in Illinois are considered to be at a warning level for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A county enters a warning level when two or more COVID-19 risk indicators that measure the amount of COVID-19 increase.

Fourteen counties are currently reported at a warning level – Bureau, Cass, Clinton, Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Jefferson, Kane, LaSalle, Moultrie, Perry, Union, Will.

These counties saw cases or outbreaks associated with weddings, businesses, birthday parties, long-term care facilities and other congregate settings, bars, sports camps, and spread among members of the same household. Public health officials are seeing people in some communities are not wearing masks, or if they are, they are being worn incorrectly. Local health departments are finding it challenging to obtain the information necessary to halt local transmission, by quickly identifying exposures from contacts of cases and businesses. Inconsistent messaging from local elected leaders are contributing to on-going transmission in some communities where there is little public concern for consequences or enforcement of social distancing, banning large gatherings, or quarantine/isolation orders.

Several counties are taking swift action and implementing mitigation measures to help slow spread of the virus. Examples include increasing the availability in testing in their community and working with local businesses to educate and spot check mask wearing and guideline adherence.

IDPH uses numerous indicators when determining if a county is experiencing stable COVID-19 activity, or if there are warning signs of increased COVID-19 risk in the county.

• New cases per 100,000 people. If there are more than 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the county, this triggers a warning.
• Number of deaths. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly number of deaths increases more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Weekly test positivity. This metric indicates a warning when the 7-day test positivity rate rises above 8%.
• ICU availability. If there are fewer than 20% of intensive care units available in the region, this triggers a warning.
• Weekly emergency department visits. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly percent of COVID-19-like-illness emergency department visits increase by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Weekly hospital admissions. A warning is triggered when the weekly number of hospital admissions for COVID-19-like-illness increases by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Tests perform. This metric is used to provide context and indicate if more testing is needed in the county.
• Clusters. This metric looks at the percent of COVID-19 cases associated with clusters or outbreaks and is used to understand large increase in cases.

These metrics are intended to be used for local level awareness to help local leaders, businesses, local health departments, and the public make informed decisions about personal and family gatherings, as well as what activities they choose to do. The metrics are updated weekly, from the Sunday-Saturday of the prior week.

A map and information of each county’s status can be found on the IDPH website at https://www.dph.illinois.gov/countymetrics.

27 New Positive COVID-19 Cases in Moultrie County

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20 in a Long Term Care Facility
•August 12, 2020•

The Moultrie County Health Department (MCHD) has confirmed 27 positive cases of the novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19). Of this total, 20 individuals are associated with the Sullivan Rehabilitation and Health Care Center (SRHCC), located in Sullivan, Illinois. These individuals who reside in Moultrie County include one staff member and 19 residents of the facility. They range in age from 20-80 years, and five are currently hospitalized.

The other seven individuals are unrelated to the long term care facility and range in age from one to 60 years. All are isolated at home. Public health officials are notifying all close contacts.

To date, 2,470 Moultrie County residents have been tested for COVID-19. Of those tests, 99 have been confirmed positive for COVID-19. Of the community cases, 12 are still in isolation.

The SRHCC has notified all residents, family members, staff and contacts. Per CDC requirements, all residents and staff have completed COVID-19 testing. All individuals who tested positive or were exposed have been isolated and quarantined for safety concerns. The facility continues to closely monitor all residents and staff. Visitation is currently restricted for the continued protection of all residents, friends, family members and staff.

The SHRCC continues to work closely with the Moultrie County Health Department and the Illinois Department of Public Health. Updates to this situation will be provided as they become available.

“On behalf of all involved, we at the Moultrie County Health Department understand that this is very stressful for everyone,” said Moultrie County Health Department Administer Angela Hogan, RN, MSPH. “We ask for your patience, understanding and support for the Sullivan Rehabilitation and Health Care Center and these special members of our community during this difficult time.”

The Moultrie County Health Department is asking all individuals and businesses to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities by using the three basic Ws:
Watch physical distance and keep six feet from others.
Wear a mask when in public places.
Wash hands routinely.
The CDC recommends that individuals who are experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms stay at home and away from other people until:
At least 10 days have elapsed since symptoms first appeared and
In the last 24 hours the individual has been fever-free without fever-reducing medication and
Symptoms have improved.
People with weakened immune systems may need to self-isolate longer than 10 days.

Information on area testing sites can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/testing.

For more information on the Moultrie County Health Department’s news, events and services, please visit www.moultriehealth.org and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/moultriecountyhealth.

Electrical Fire

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Photo by R.R. Best
Sullivan Fire Department responded to a suspected electrical fire on Sunday evening at 5:37 pm in the 1200 block of South Hamilton. The owner came home to find the home full of smoke and the fire appears to have started in the basement. Two dogs suffered from smoke inhalation but they did survive. There was smoke damage throughout the home. Pictured above is RN Bev Coons watching while Dr. Florey (right) and homeowner Bobby Peeler (left) tend to one of the dogs.

Amtrykes Presented to Two Locals

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Noah Smith (front center) with his Amtryke from the Sullivan AMBUCS is surrounded by his parents Kim Smith and Mike Smith and brother Ethan at the AMBUCS picnic held last week. In the background are Sullivan AMBUCS members. photo by Crystal Reed.

•August 12, 2020•
The Sullivan AMBUCS chapter held a picnic last Thursday and during it presented surprises to two local children. That evening Amtrykes were presented to Presley Wagner and Noah Smith.
According to a brochure, the Amtryke Tricycle Program is about ability, not disability. They make foot trykes, hand trykes and hand and foot trykes in a wide range of sizes at a low cost. Read More