County continues to receive PPE and support from Illinois National Guard

WOOD RIVER — Thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment, PPE, continue to arrive in Madison County for distribution to hospitals, healthcare facilities, and long-term care facilities.

Illinois National Guard continues to provide two members who are housed at the Madison County Emergency Management Agency.

“Illinois Department of Public Health is coordinating the counts for ventilators, ICU beds, and other hospital capacity needs to help local health departments focus on the direct response and collectively obtain necessary equipment,” stated Toni Corona, Madison County Health Department Director.  “The two Illinois National Guard soldiers are assisting IDPH with this effort and we are grateful to have them in our county helping with this pandemic response.”

Madison County Health Department continues to lead this public health emergency response for Madison County implementing emergency response plans, working with a multiple of partners within the county government as well as across other organizations in the county, state, and bi-state region.

“I am proud of the leadership of Madison County Health Department to protect our public’s health during this response and the cooperation across county departments to continue to support our residents during this unprecedented time,” stated Kurt Prenzler, Madison County Board Chairman.

This is the second time the Illinois National Guard has been deployed to Madison County in recent times.  The first came during last year’s historical flooding during the spring and summer of 2019.

“We are happy to have them back after the fantastic work they did for us last year,” said Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler. “The more help we have to keep our residents and first responders safe, the better.”