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COVID-19 hotline number launches in Downstate Illinois

State Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, told constituents this week that the telehealth program has been extended in downstate.

In partnership with SIU School of Medicine, the state of Illinois has launched the Remote Patient Monitoring Program to safeguard downstate hospitals from being overwhelmed by providing telehealth services to underserved communities in the region, she said in an email to constituents.

The program provides virtual medical support for individuals who are showing COVID-19 symptoms or are at high risk of contracting the virus, but do not require emergency or inpatient care. A person must call the SIU Medicine COVID-19 hotline for a final determination of eligibility.

If you are eligible, a Pandemic Health Worker team will digitally assess your condition, provide daily virtual check-ins, and follow-up over a 14-day period to ensure no further assistance is needed. For patients who need them, PHW’s will deliver medicine and wellness kits that include essential tools to monitor your health, such as thermometers, pulse oximeters, blood pressure cuffs, and alcohol wipes.

There are Pandemic Health Worker teams deployed in the communities of Alton, Springfield, Carbondale, Decatur and Quincy. The program is available to all who qualify, regardless of whether you are insured.

Starting this week, Illinois residents can call the SIU Medicine COVID-19 Hotline and request assistance. The downstate number is (217) 545-5100.

More information on the program can be found here.

http://www.siumed.edu/coronavirus/news/siu-medicine-launches-pandemic-health-worker-program-remote-patient-monitoring.html

Further questions can be directed to Crowe’s office, (618) 251-9840.

“We’ll do our best to find the answers,” she said.

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