Expanding on efforts to protect the physical and mental health of Illinois communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. JB Pritzker announced the launch of a new Remote Patient Monitoring Program and mental health support line.
Illinois has launched a new Remote Patient Monitoring Program utilizing telehealth Services and Pandemic Health Worker ( PHW ) Programs in partnership with OSF HealthCare and the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. The program will reduce barriers to health and mental health services to support residents across Illinois, with a focus on underserved communities and those at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pandemic Health Workers ( PHWs ) will digitally connect with members in the community who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and need to stay home or quarantine to protect themselves and others.
The Department of Healthcare and Family Services has formalized contracts for Central and Southern Illinois and is finalizing the partnership for the Northern Region this coming week.
The OSF PHW teams are serving East Central and North Central Illinois communities include Peoria/Bloomington, Champaign/Urbana, Evergreen Park, Danville, Galesburg, Kewanee, Monmouth, Ottawa, Mendota, Streator, Pontiac and Rockford. The OSF Hotline number is 833-673-5669 and is available now. More information can be found at OSFhealthcare.org .
The SIU SOM PHW program is serving West Central and Southern Illinois include Springfield, Quincy, Decatur, Carbondale, and Metro East communities. The SIU Hotline number is 217-545-5100 and will be available starting Spril 13. More information can be found at SIUMed.edu/phw.
Also, the Illinois Department of Human Services' Mental Health Division has launched a free-of-charge emotional support text line, Call4Calm, for Illinois residents experiencing stress and mental health issues related to COVID-19.
Individuals who would like to speak with a mental health professional can text "TALK" to 5-5-2-0-2-0, or for Spanish, "HABLAR" to the same number: 5-5-2-0-2-0. Call4Calm is free to use, and individuals will remain anonymous.