Too many of us are experiencing the unfortunate reality that the CTA did not successfully avert service cuts.  I am particularly concerned about how these service reductions affect our community.  As I am working in Springfield to fully fund transit and achieve a stable state budget overall, it is very helpful to have personal stories that I can share with CTA officials and other legislators regarding the impact these cuts have on people’s daily lives.  If you have a story you would like to share, please email me at hsteans@senatedem.ilga.gov.  For up to date information on the service cuts, see the CTA’s website.  

 

Below are a couple of other updates pertinent to our community.  We are back in session in Springfield as well and I will keep you updated about what we are – or are not – accomplishing going forward.

 

 

A federal judge denied a temporary restraining order to block the termination of Medicaid funding at the Somerset nursing home in Uptown on Friday.  The Somerset will continue to receive funding for thirty more days, and then funding will stop.  After this point, residents must either be relocated or the facility must be sold to new owners and recertified for Medicaid funding.   I have been in frequent communication with the Illinois Department of Public Health concerning this issue; termination of Medicaid funding is a rare action for the government to take.  The Illinois Department of Public Health has a court-appointed monitor in the facility.  State agency employees are assisting residents with questions and relocation.

 

To read an additional update and background about the closure, click here. 
 
Rogers Park in the New York Times

 

For those of you who missed it, the New York Times recently highlighted the ethnic diversity and funky charm of our own Rogers Park neighborhood.  Read the article here.

Best,

Heather A. Steans