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Congresswoman Robin Kelly’s Tele-Town Hall Offers Community Guidance on COVID-19 Outbreak

March 25, 2020

Matteson, IL – On Monday, Congresswoman Robin Kelly hosted a telephone town hall with health care experts and state government representatives to answer questions and hear concerns of constituents as the nation seeks to slow the spread of COVID-19.

"We're facing a serious and accelerating challenge, but we will make it through," Congresswoman Kelly said. "I wanted to let my constituents know that we're working every day to ensure that our most vulnerable and our seniors will have access to testing and treatment. I also stressed that in the next economic stimulus bill we will do everything possible to support our families, small businesses and communities."

Constituents on the call asked about unemployment, symptoms of COVID-19, and when to call or go to the hospital. Dr. Ebony J. Hilton, medical director of Goodstock Consulting, offered advice on how to avoid transmission of the coronavirus, including repeated handwashing and social distancing. She also outlined the protocols of COVID-19 testing and stated that individuals with zero to few symptoms will need to wait for test results at home.

In response to a constituent's question regarding the protection of homeless people in the South Suburbs, Congresswoman Kelly said funding has been given to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources which will be used to partner with communities to identify and shelter people at-risk.

Other concerns included the safety of guards and prisoners in Cook County and state prisons, and the protection of senior citizens in long-term care facilities. Answering questions from constituents were Congresswoman Robin Kelly; Dr. Gary Puckrein, president and CEO of National Minority Quality Forum; Allan Spooner, president and CEO of Franciscan Health Olympia Fields and Chicago Heights; Dr. Ebony J. Hilton, M.D., medical director of Goodstock Consulting and Pat Collier, representing the Office of Governor J.B. Pritzker.

This call is the second in a series of COVID-19 response calls hosted by Congresswoman Robin Kelly; she hosted a call with small business leaders on Friday afternoon.

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