Senator Morrison announces local grants to improve COVID-19 health equity strategies

HIGHWOOD – The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated the health inequities facing communities throughout Illinois. Three organizations in Lake County have been awarded funding to implement health equity strategies, State Senator Julie Morrison announced Wednesday.

“Prioritizing accessibility and inclusivity in our health care realm became even more vital during the pandemic,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “As chair of the Senate Health Committee, I have seen firsthand the need to close health equity gaps in Illinois. The ARISE program is a great step toward improving the health and well-being in our communities that have long suffered care inequities.”

Activating Relationships in Illinois for Systemic Equity (ARISE) is a joint initiative of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Center for Minority Health Services and The Center for Rural Health, in collaboration with Well-Being and Equity (WE) in the World.

Lake County’s Black and Brown Coalition for Health Equity, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, and Islamic Alliance to Advance Health Equity in Lake County are three of the 18 organizations across Illinois awarded funding to address systemic health disparities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ARISE intends to support socio-economically disadvantaged and historically marginalized communities outside of Cook County that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Further, organizations will be able to address enduring health inequities in their communities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The selected ARISE Community Equity Zone communities will engage in a rigorous “learning-and-doing” capacity building program to advance health equity in the short, medium and long term. The community coalitions will address inequities in mental, physical and social well-being in communities that are experiencing the brunt of these disparities by connecting people to vaccinations, food, and other well-being needs. They will also address underlying community needs such as humane housing, reliable transportation, and the root causes of these inequities, including racism and poverty.

“This initiative implements a strategy that will combat preexisting health inequities made worse by the pandemic,” said Morrison. “Through collaborative community efforts, we can put the state on a path toward greater post-pandemic healing.”

To learn more about the ARISE initiative, people can visit www.weintheworld.org/arise-project.

Morrison to host town hall on PFAS and forever chemicals in our water

WHO: State Senator Julie Morrison, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Environmental Council
WHAT: Community Forum on PFAS and Forever Chemicals
WHEN: 6:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022
WHERE: Elawa Farm, 1401 Middlefork Dr., Lake Forest, Illinois 60045

LAKE FOREST – State Senator Julie Morrison will host a community forum on PFAS and forever chemicals at 6:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday Oct. 11 at Elawa Farm in Lake Forest.

“Some of our neighbors have expressed an interest in the risk posed by forever chemicals in our water,” said Senator Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “I encourage all to join us for an informative event with experts who are working to provide us with clean water.”

Expert panelists will include Brad Frost and Tesch Woods, Office of Community Relations, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency; Aaron Martin, Toxicology Manager, Illinois Department of Public Health; and Iyana Simba, City Programs Director, Illinois Environmental Council.

This event is free and open to the public.

Senator Morrison announces local schools set to receive over $25 million in additional funding

HIGHWOOD  – State Senator Julie Morrison is announcing that school districts across Cook and Lake counties will receive nearly $25 million in funding to help address the financial challenges of recent years.

“When schools are adequately funded, students have better outcomes – from better test scores to increased graduation rates,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “The additional funding allocated to schools across the area will provide more curriculum options, better facilities and other resources to help students learn and grow.” 

The funding comes from the 2017 Illinois Senate Democrat-backed evidence based funding formula – an overhaul of the way the state funds K-12 education. The law made school funding more equitable by calculating the needs of individual school districts and basing its state revenue on those needs. The formula takes into account a district’s total enrollment, poverty rate, the number of special education or English language learners, among other factors. 

Some local schools that are set to receive additional funding include:

• Wheeling School District 21: $13,432,736
• River Trails School District 26: #1,523,718
• Northbrook Elementary School 27: $791,396
• West Northfield School District 31: $808,369
• Lake Bluff Elementary School District: 65: $565,077
• Lake Forest School District 67: $1,014,839
• Bannockburn School District 106: $140,906
• Deerfield School District 109: $1,829,408
• North Shore School District 112: $3,373,338
• Township High School District 113: $1,854,468
• Lake Forest CUSD 115: $881,134

The Fiscal Year ‘23 budget invested an additional $350 million into student’s success through the evidence based funding model.

“Illinois is a stand-out state when it comes to the way we fund our schools,” said Morrison. “Evidence based funding ensures students are provided with quality education regardless of ZIP code.”

In total, schools in the area Morrison represents saw a total of $25 million in additional funding. For more information on the FY 23 evidence based funding distribution, people can visit isbe.net/Pages/EvidenceBasedFunding.

Morrison celebrates Lake County receiving almost $130,000 in Illinois Natural Areas Stewardship grants

HIGHWOOD —State Senator Julie Morrison celebrates the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announcement of almost $130,000 in grants for land trusts in Lake County to support land protected by the Illinois Nature Preservation Commission.

“Our nature preserves are a point of pride, and to give them the support that they need is vital to maintain their high quality stewardship,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “They serve not only as a way to preserve our environment, but as ways for our children to learn about nature.”

Two area Open Lands Associations have been given grants to support their stewardship efforts. Lake Bluff Open Lands Association will receive nearly $60,000 to hire interns and contractual services to control invasive species, remove undesirable trees, and conduct controlled burns which are vital in preservation at Skokie River Prairie Land and Water Reserve. The Lake Forest Open Lands Association will receive just over $70,000 to purchase equipment, supplies, and contractual assistance to improve natural community structure and diversity at Skokie River Nature Preserve and Middlefork Savanna Nature Preserve.

“It is important to get the right tools to the right people,” said Morrison. “Environmental stewardship is a vital step to ensure our future generations have a clean and healthy environment.”

Stewardship is the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through preservation and sustainable practices to enhance ecosystem resilience. In recent years the stewardship needs at natural areas throughout Illinois have outpaced the ability to deliver these services to natural areas permanently protected in the Illinois Nature Preservation Commission system.

More information about the Illinois Natural Areas Stewardship Grant Program can be found on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website at https://bit.ly/stewardshipgrants.