Nurses are one of the many professions that worked tirelessly through the COVID-19 pandemic to keep Illinoisans as safe as possible.
In a May 17 video from the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus, state Sen. John Curran (R-Lemont) offered his gratitude to the nurses of Illinois.
"Every day, nurses work hard to deliver compassionate, quality care in a variety of healthcare settings throughout Illinois," Curran said, "but for the past 14 months, our nurses have gone above and beyond to address healthcare needs during extraordinarily challenging times."
Curran was among the legislators to celebrate Gov. J.B. Pritzker's decision to allow Illinois businesses to fully reopen by June 11. He called the plan "great news" on his Facebook page earlier this month.
With the COVID pandemic in its final hours, Illinois nurses may finally have a chance to breathe, but their sacrifices during the public health crisis will not soon be forgotten.
"Families across the state took precautions to avoid exposure to the COVID-19 virus," Curran said. "Nurses walked straight toward this highly contagious and quickly spreading virus. The sacrifices they made with their families put the health of others above their own."
Illinois Nurses Appreciation Week is May 6 through 12. During that week, Curran says he visited the Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, whose 743-large nursing staff represents a significant fraction of the nurses in the state.
"I had some wonderful conversations with these caregivers, many of whom continue to work demanding schedules as the hospital continues to respond to COVID-19 related illnesses and other health crises," Curran said. "[...] I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to every nurse in every Illinois community for their dedicated service to Illinoisans in need of quality health care.”
In a previous West Cook News article, Curran updated his constituents on the COVID-19 vaccine supply. At the time, Curran said that collar counties were having a hard time getting access to the vaccine and he blamed the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Curran said that too much effort and focus was being directed at getting vaccines to Chicago while less populated collar counties were being ignored.
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