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Beginning Monday, The Loretto Hospital will be limiting the number of COVID-19 tests it conducts to about 100 per day and reducing hours of operation to 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday. State Rep. La Shawn Ford, who's been pushing for more testing of West Side residents, said Sunday the hospital has to scale back because the state has a backlog in processing results.
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Austin is one of three Chicago neighborhoods identified by Mayor Lori Lightfoot's administration for an engagement campaign to fight COVID0-19, officials announced Monday. Austin was chosen - along with two South Side communities - based on data that indicated a need for action to address the disproportionate impact the global pandemic has had on African American communities, officials said.
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A month after the state ordered restaurants and other retail establishments to close because of the coronavirus pandemic, many African American-operated businesses in Austin are having trouble paying their bills and wondering if they'll be able to reopen. “Most of our businesses are hanging on by a thread anyway,” said Malcolm Crawford, who operates Sankofa Cultural Arts Center, 5820 W. Chicago Ave.
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In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, West Side native Jerome McNutt is feeling good. Although he hasn’t been able to work his "non-essential” job since mid-March and has to do his therapy session at PCC Community Wellness Center by phone rather than in person, the 58-year-old is optimistic about the future.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday a plan to expand testing on Chicago's West and South sides as the deadly coronavirus continues to hit African Americans communities the hardest. Four Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in Chicago - including PCC Community Wellness Center, which operates two sites in Austin - will expand testing on the West and South sides over the next several days to an additional 400 tests per day.
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Longtime Austin resident and beloved member of Greater St. John Bible Church Adrew Betts has died from complications of COVID-19.
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Austin's top cop says too many people are still congregating outside and not remaining inside as required under the governor's nearly 3-week-old, stay-at-home order. “People in our community need to take this a lot more seriously," 15th District Police Commander Yolanda Talley told faith and community leaders at a virtual meeting held this week.
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State Rep. La Shawn Ford, Congressman Danny K. Davis and others pleaded Tuesday for Loretto Hospital's survival, warning the coronavirus pandemic could be the last nail in the coffin for Austin's largest private employer. George N. Miller Jr., Loretto's president and CEO, said the 90-year-old hospital was at a financial disadvantage before COVID-19 hit and desperately needs additional funding from the local, state and federal governments to stay afloat.
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West Side residents will line up outside St. Martin de Porres Church on Wednesday to get food, and for some, this will be the first time they've sought help in this way.
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Carolyn Rogers wishes her fiance, Brandon Caudle, was home with her in Chicago rather than incarcerated at Lincoln Correctional Center. She had expected Caudle to be home by now - and facing a much lower risk for exposure to the coronavirus - but she says confusion over when his nine-year drug sentence ends has kept him in prison.
