April 13, 2020 Update from the Mayor
Today, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced 1,173 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 22,025 cases including 794 deaths, in 87 counties in Illinois. There are currently 27 recorded cases of COVID in Hickory Hills. Oak Lawn has 132 cases, Palos Hills has 36 cases, and Bridgeview has 63 cases. Due to medical privacy issues we are not provided any further information.
Blood Drive in Hickory Hills This Sunday (April 19)….Appointment Only
As we previously reported, maintaining adequate blood supplies is critical during this time. If you are looking for another way to contribute to our country’s group effort to defeat this virus, please consider donating blood if you are able. The Hickory Hills Blood Drive scheduled for Sunday April 19 between 8AM and 2PM at the Hickory Hills Community Center located at 7800 W. 89th Place is by appointment only. No walk-ins. Most of the early appointment times are currently filled with appointment openings available from 10 AM until 2 PM. So, if you are healthy enough and want to schedule an appointment to donate please contact Vitalant at 877-25-VITAL or online @www.Vitalant.org You should convey your interest in donating at the Hickory Hills Community Center when scheduling your appointment, please provide the following group code C112. You may also schedule an appointment at the Vitalant Donation Center located at 9517 S. Cicero Ave, Oak Lawn by calling 708-346-9928. Please use group code C112 when you make an appointment at the Donation Center.
You may complete the screening questionnaire prior to your arrival on the morning of your appointment at the Vitalant Website. This will help to expedite the donation process. Every effort will be made to ensure the safety of all donors while maintaining social distancing. Please remember, there is a critical shortage of blood due to the Covid-19 virus and every donation matters.
Information on Filing for Unemployment Benefits
As we know, COVID-19 also has ravaged our economy and has really made life difficult for many people in this regard. Governor JB Pritzker announced actions being taken to meet the overwhelming demand for unemployment claims being submitted through the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). He announced that through the five weeks from March 1 to April 4, Illinois received 513,173 initial unemployment claims, which is greater than the total number of initial claims for the entirety of 2019 (489,831 claims).
Information about the process once a claim is filed can be found via this link. IDES has also provided Unemployment Insurance Claim Filing Frequently Asked Questions, which can be accessed via this link.
Mayor Call
The weekly conference call with Mayors from throughout the state was held tonight. The good news is that all of our efforts have started to demonstrate a flattening of the curve, though we have yet to see a decrease in the number of COVID cases. Importantly, the slowing of the increase has allowed our hospital system to handle the influx of COVID patients requiring ICU care.
Census 2020…Completing the Form Online Takes Less Than 5 minutes!
Did you know that the results of the 2020 Census will help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into communities every year for the next decade? Census population figures held determine how money is allocated to school programs such as Head Start, grants to support teachers and special education. The Census results also impact funding for local highway and roadway projects. The list also includes programs to provide assistance to older adults and even to prevent child abuse. It takes less than 5 minutes to complete the Census form online to assure your household is accurately counted so that we can assure that Hickory Hills receives its affair share of tax dollars to improve our community.
Jim Gaffigan on CBS Sunday Morning
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jim-gaffigan-lessons-of-distance-learning/
Sebastian Maniscalco
I have included a fair number of Sebastian Maniscalco comedy routines, so I thought you might enjoy the fully story of this Chicagoan’s long road to success.
Have a great rest of the week!
Mayor Mike