Illinois is taking significant steps to fight infectious disease threats, as Governor JB Pritzker has announced new agreements with Rush University Medical Center and Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. These hospitals will receive a combined $1.5 million from the Illinois Department of Public Health to upgrade facilities, invest in specialized equipment, and enhance staff training, enabling them to treat patients with high-consequence pathogens such as Ebola and Lassa fever. The state’s move comes as federal support for pandemic preparedness wanes. Officials emphasize that this partnership enhances Illinois’s ability to respond rapidly to global health emergencies and protect public safety.
“Here in Illinois, we’re working to ensure our state is prepared to protect the health and safety of working families, even as the Trump administration decimates our national healthcare infrastructure,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I’m proud to announce IDPH’s partnership with Rush and Lurie Children’s to stop the spread of highly infectious diseases and treat those suffering from the most dangerous infections. With this investment, we’re advancing treatment capabilities in two of our State’s premier hospitals and ensuring the best care for Illinoisans.”
ush University Medical Center has a long track record of readiness for emerging infectious diseases that threaten our state,” said Dr. Brian Stein, Chief Quality Officer for the Rush University System for Health. “While our preparedness was tested and proven during the COVID-19 pandemic, this work began well before—with our involvement in the Chicago Ebola Response Network and with years of infection prevention innovation through the CDC-funded Prevention Epicenters Program. These partnerships have helped us build the infrastructure and expertise needed to respond to public health emergencies. We are grateful for this vote of confidence from the state of Illinois.”
“It is part of our mission to be continuously prepared to safely serve the medical needs of any child who needs our care, no matter their disease,” says Dr. Larry Kociolek, Pediatric Infectious Diseases specialist and Vice President of System Preparedness, Prevention, and Response at Lurie Children’s. “This generous investment by the state ensures that all Illinois children can count on us to have the resources, tools, and highly trained staff that they need for high-consequence pathogen treatment at a moment’s notice.”
“It is now, more important than ever, to build Illinois’s capacity to respond to current and future global health threats,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “Chicago is a global city, home to O’Hare International Airport, the second busiest airport in the United States and a primary point of entry for international travelers. We are fortunate in Illinois to have some of the top hospitals and providers in the nation. IDPH is thrilled to partner with Rush and Lurie Children’s to protect the public from any and all high consequence pathogens that may enter Illinois.”
The federal government maintains a national network of 13 Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers (RESPTCs), but there are none in Illinois; the closest are in Michigan and Minnesota. While these centers are equipped to identify, isolate, and treat patients with severe infectious diseases like the Ebola virus, transporting Illinois residents out of state to receive this specialized care is both logistically and clinically challenging.
