CHICAGO – State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) welcomed legislators and staff to the second tour of two safety-net hospitals last Wednesday. The group of bipartisan lawmakers, advocates and safety-net experts attended the tours.

“This group was able to see the crucial role safety-net hospitals    play in underserved communities,” Gillespie said. “Uninsured    people, Medicaid and Medicare recipients make up the vast    majority of the patients treated in these hospitals.”

The group toured Swedish Hospital and Thorek Memorial Hospital    in Chicago. Representatives from multiple other safety-net    hospitals joined to explain the essential services they offer. Safety-net hospitals serve low-income communities where a majority of patients receive coverage from Medicaid.

“The state's network of safety net hospitals is vitally important to all our health and safety, especially now, during a pandemic,” said State Senator Heather Steans. “It was informative to visit these crucial hospitals, and should remind all of us in Springfield that we need to make their continued operation a priority.”

During the shortened legislative session this past May, lawmakers passed the Hospital and Health Care Transformation Program. The program will provide $150 million in funding for individual projects for safety-net hospitals to advance health equity and address systemic health disparities in Illinois.