Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania’s Columns
  • Advertise
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Aaron Hanania
      • Steve Metsch
      • Steve Neuhaus
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
    • Submit a Press Release
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Seniors
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Two Guys on Politics Podcast: A Centrist View on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
    • The Arab street Podcast
  • Hanania on Tiktok
  • Toggle search form
  • Writing my very first news story that ran in the Messenger Press Baby Boomers
  • Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings. Photo courtesy of the Illinois State Senate
    Senator Michael Hastings supports bill to protect consumers from pesky auto-renewal charges Features
  • Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8
    Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8 Entertainment
  • Paul Vallas candidate for Chicago Mayor 2023. Photo courtesy of the Paul Vallas website
    Paul Vallas calls out Johnson’s lies walking back calls to defund and undermine police Chicago
  • Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights
    Psychological support for divorcing dads topic of CLE at Leving firm Chicago
  • Ronette McCarthy, a candidate for Mayor of Palos Park, addresses the Palos Park Village Board on the issue of expanding Wu's House parking into land adjacent to the huge restaurant on the east.
    Whoa is Wu’s House in Palos Park Blogger
  • Pekau campaign signs violate village ordinances News
  • Rotary Club of Orland Park Logo
    Orland Park Rotary offering scholarships to graduating seniors Education
  • Carl Sandburg High School, Orland Park, School District 230
    Carl Sandburg band invited to London’s New Year’s Day Parade 2024;  Education
  • Higher Education veteran Tracy Sullivan announces candidacy for Moraine Valley Board News
  • Chicago ALderman Raymond Lopez announces his candidacy for Mayor of Chicago on Wednesday April 6, 2022. Photo courtesy of Ray Lopez announcement video
    Lopez and O’Shea endorse Vallas in Chicago mayor race Chicago
  • Foxx policies punish police rather than the criminals Blogger
  • Chicago Businessman Willie Wilson
    Former Mayoral Candidate, Business Leader Dr. Willie Wilson Endorses Vallas for Mayor Chicago
  • Alderman Roderick Sawyer, 6th Ward. Photo courtesy of WIkipedia
    Vallas Endorsed by Mayoral Candidate and Alderman Roderick Sawyer  Chicago
  • Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital
    Homer Glen resident celebrates 45 years of service at Palos Hospital Cook County
The Cicero Health Department administered COVID vaccinations to all residents and to seniors including to seniors as pictured here at the Drexel homes. Photo courtesy of the Town of Cicero

Cicero proud of its strong response to COVID and protection of our residents

Posted on August 20, 2021October 30, 2021 By News Editor No Comments on Cicero proud of its strong response to COVID and protection of our residents
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Loading

Cicero proud of its strong response to COVID and protection of our residents

Town President Larry Dominick and the Town of Cicero Board of Trustees implemented a strong and effective campaign to confront the Coronavirus COVID Pandemic beginning in early 2020, making vaccinations available to all residents of the town and doing outreach in both English and Spanish to ensure an effective response. The vaccination program continues. For more information visit the Town’s website at www.TheTownofCicero.com.

(Click here to read the Spanish version.)

The Town of Cicero implemented an aggressive response to the health threat posed to residents by the COVID Pandemic in 2020. Cicero used its existing resources supplemented by Coronavirus Relief Funding.

Cicero Police and all First Responders, including firefighters, paramedics and Health Department staff faced a “100 times” greater exposure to COVID infection than the average citizen because of the high number of human-to-human contacts they conducted in order to protect the safety of the public.

As a consequence, COVID funding was heavily directed towards supporting health and safety resources mainly involving Police, Firefighters, first responders, and our Health Department to maintain the highest level of safety for our residents.

Police, Firefighters and First Responders had a higher rate of COVID infections than the average citizen.

In the case of Police, the Police Department experienced in 2020 534 COVID “Injury on Duty” days-off (or 4,272 total hours) for sworn personnel. When personnel experience such a vast amount of injury on duty days off, coverage of those shifts are often covered by personnel called in to work on duty days-off to ensure and maintain adequate staffing levels top ensure public safety:

The Cicero Health Department administered COVID vaccinations to all residents and to seniors including to seniors as pictured here at the Drexel homes. Photo courtesy of the Town of Cicero

  • Calendar Year 2020 Police Department overtime actuals surpassed budget by $264,313.
  • Calendar Year 2020 Fire Department overtime exceeded budget by $46,339. Firefighters logged 2,666 overtime working hours in 2020.

 

To address these challenges, the Town of Cicero hired additional police, firefighters, paramedics and Health Department employees in an effort to ensure an effective COVID response. Cicero did not want to diminish our obligations to the public. In addition, the effort to confront the pandemic threat resulted in large overtime costs as many first responder staff worked additional hours to respond to the increased public need and emergency COVID related calls.

Second, Cicero invested in COVID PPE distributed to employees and to residents to reduce infections and keep first responders safe so they could protect our citizens from criminals and respond in emergency situations to emergency health calls and fires.

Last year, Cicero’s Police, Fire and Health departments were engaged for months in monitoring and helping to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus exposures at one of the Town’s two Nursing Homes.

Additionally, the Town of Cicero hosted and co-hosted dozens of food giveaways face mask giveaways to assist residents negatively impacted by the pandemic. This required hundreds of employees being involved in organizing the giveaway programs including assigning police to manage huge crowds of residents seeking food and PPE/Face Masks. In many cases, vehicles lined up for more than one mile while volunteers and Town employees staffed the giveaway lines for many hours during each event. 

Cicero Plaza with flags. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
Cicero Plaza with flags. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania

Finally, funding also supported the Town’s aggressive vaccination program by the Cicero Health Department (CHD). CHD provided 26,000 vaccinations to members of the public adding staff and purchasing computer equipment to manage the schedules. Cicero’s vaccination program was among the most extensive of any community in the Chicagoland suburban area. CHD hired additional staff to address COVID infections and concerns among residents, as well as funding the aggressive vaccination program.

From March to December 2020, the Town had total estimated expenditures of direct COVID-19 of $343,549.00. While the Town has submitted for reimbursement for these direct PPE expenditures through December 31, 2020 through a FEMA/IEMA Public Assistance Grant, as of August 9, 2021, the Town has not received any reimbursement.

Funds were also spent to purchase advertising, robocalls and flyers to support public awareness and participation. 

Under state law, Cicero is required to accept COVID vaccination appointments from both residents of the Town of Cicero and individuals who lived outside of the Town of Cicero so despite assertions of low vaccination numbers among the Hispanic Community in Cicero, they do not include the thousands of vaccinations administered by law to individuals who live outside of the Town of Cicero.

Despite a reluctance among some residents to be vaccinated, especially among undocumented residents, the Town of Cicero’s vaccination program has resulted in 42.5 percent of the population (36,189 people) receiving both vaccinations, and 60.4 percent (50,650 people) receiving at least one vaccination. This does not include non-residents from outside Cicero who were vaccinated.

Vaccination remains a choice and is not mandated or required although the Town of Cicero continues to urge residents to participate in the Town’s vaccination programs.

Obviously, people with outside agendas have sought to politicize and distort these facts for their own personal advantage. But the truth is, Cicero used COVID funding to strengthen the Town’s response to protect the residents at every level and to ensure that Town Services continued at the highest levels without sacrifice. Cicero funded an aggressive COVID vaccination program that has helped the community survive this pandemic and that continues to answer the community demand for vaccinations.

POLICE HIRES

    • Hired 36 Police officers since Jan. 1, 2020
    • 52 fulltime Police Officers contracted COVID requiring medical treatment

FIRE DEPT HIRES

    • Hired 14 firefighters
    • 21 firefighters (28 percent of the Fire Department) contracted COVID  

HEALTH DEPT HIRES

    • 20 clerical hires; 7 nurses, nurse practitioners and medical residents hired
    • 3 staff infected with COVID; 4 staff quarantined

Town President Larry Dominick declared an Emergency on March 18, 2020 and formed the Emergency Operations Committee which issued detailed daily public reports on the COVID Pandemic translated in English and Spanish and distributed on social media and published on the Town’s official website.

Cicero is unique in that it has a higher population density than any other Chicagoland suburban community. Additionally, Cicero has a large undocumented population which received health care services from the Town of Cicero. Cicero adopted the “Safe Space” Resolution which guarantees to protect all undocumented residents. The Resolution is one reason why Cicero has more undocumented residents because they come to our community knowing that they will be safer with us than in any other community in the Chicagoland.

For more information visit the Town of Cicero’s website at www.TheTownofCicero.com.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
News Editor
News Editor
News Editor at Suburban Chicagoland
Managing Editor and News Editor for stories published in SuburbanChicagoland
News Editor
Latest posts by News Editor (see all)
  • Senator Michael Hastings supports bill to protect consumers from pesky auto-renewal charges - March 18, 2023
  • Wreaths Across America Radio Announces New Strategic Partnerships with Veteran Radio Programs - February 6, 2023
  • Orland Township Democratic Organization to honor Former Secretary of State Jesse White on Feb. 23 - February 2, 2023
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Briefs, Cook County, coronavirus, Fire, Government, Health, News, NewsWire, Police, Suburban Chicagoland Tags:Cicero, Coronavirus, COVID, covid response, employee overtime, Fire Department, Larry Dominick, Pandemic, Police, president, protecting community, sick leave, strong response, Town of CIcero, Town response, vaccinations

Post navigation

Previous Post: Leving team reunites dad with sons after all contact cut off
Next Post: La agresiva respuesta de Cicero frente a la pandemia del COVID

Related Posts

  • Rows and rows of gas grills at suburban stores. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Orland Fire offers tips on avoiding mishaps while barbecuing Events
  • Ray Hanania and family Easter 1957.
    Midnight Flight: Online book on Race in Chicago Baby Boomers
  • Lyons’ early Christmas gift Government
  • Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman
    Suburbs lose a great leader in Liz Gorman Blogger
  • Ricardo Soto Lyons suspect in shooting at police during traffic stop. Mugshot courtesy of the Lyons Police
    Armed suspect arrested in gun related traffic stop in Village of Lyons breaking news
  • Mansour Tadros, who died on March 28, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Tadros family
    Mansour Tadros mourned by Arab American community Chicago

More Related Articles

Wolves lose Game 3 of Playoffs but still lead 2 to 1 News
The bullying of Sharon Brannigan Blogger
Flags in Public Plaza. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania New affordable homes to be built for veterans in Yorkville Government
Orland Township offers Walk-in Flu vaccinations to residents Oct. 2021 Walk-In Flu Shots Still Available at Orland Township coronavirus
Chicago Police Supt Eddie Johnson. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Hold communities accountable and stop blaming the police Blogger
Ray Hanania home at 89th and Luella Avenue. Picture 2017 Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas to begin sending $25.4 million in automatic refunds to Cook County homeowners  Chicago

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Writing my very first news story that ran in the Messenger Press
    March 19, 2023
  • Ronette McCarthy, a candidate for Mayor of Palos Park, addresses the Palos Park Village Board on the issue of expanding Wu's House parking into land adjacent to the huge restaurant on the east.
    Whoa is Wu’s House in Palos Park
    March 14, 2023
  • Foxx policies punish police rather than the criminals
    March 8, 2023
  • Pekau silences accountability to expand his political power
    February 27, 2023
  • Terrorist Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin who is guilty of massacring civilians in his war against Ukraine. Photo credit Wikipedia
    America should stand with Ukraine and set aside internal politics
    February 24, 2023
  • Karie Friling the former Director of Development Services and former Asst. Village Manager for Orland Park, Illinois, discusses with host Ray Hanania, the proposed referendum introduced and pushed by Mayor keith Pekau to eliminate the professional Village Manager and Managerial Form of Government.
    Former Orland Park Asst Village Manager analyzes misguided referendum to eliminate Managerial form of government 
    February 23, 2023

Subscribe

  • Ray-Hanania-Newsletter-300-wide-Banner.jpg

Trending

  • Ronette McCarthy, a candidate for Mayor of Palos Park, addresses the Palos Park Village Board on the issue of expanding Wu's House parking into land adjacent to the huge restaurant on the east. Whoa is Wu’s House... Whoa is Wu's House in Palos Park Residents in Palos Park thought they had t... posted on March 14, 2023
  • Village of Orland Park agenda, Feb. 20, 2023 EXCLUSIVE: Pekau has alre... EXCLUSIVE: Pekau has already decided to move ahead and eliminate the Villag... posted on February 20, 2023
  • Karie Friling the former Director of Development Services and former Asst. Village Manager for Orland Park, Illinois, discusses with host Ray Hanania, the proposed referendum introduced and pushed by Mayor keith Pekau to eliminate the professional Village Manager and Managerial Form of Government. Former Orland Park Asst V... Former Orland Park Asst Village Manager analyzes misguided referendum to el... posted on February 23, 2023
  • Pekau campaign signs viol... Pekau campaign signs violate village ordinances Pekau and his endorsed cand... posted on March 13, 2023
  • Cook County Awards Commun... Cook County Awards Community-Based Service Providers $25 Million to Address... posted on March 1, 2023
  • NEWS
  • Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings. Photo courtesy of the Illinois State Senate
    Senator Michael Hastings supports bill to protect consumers from pesky auto-renewal charges
    March 18, 2023
  • Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8
    Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8
    March 17, 2023
  • Paul Vallas candidate for Chicago Mayor 2023. Photo courtesy of the Paul Vallas website
    Paul Vallas calls out Johnson’s lies walking back calls to defund and undermine police
    March 15, 2023
  • Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights
    Psychological support for divorcing dads topic of CLE at Leving firm
    March 14, 2023
  • Pekau campaign signs violate village ordinances
    March 13, 2023
  • Rotary Club of Orland Park Logo
    Orland Park Rotary offering scholarships to graduating seniors
    March 13, 2023
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

The Political Pundit

Political Pundit Aug. 24, 2021. Taliban thanks president for boxes of MAGA hats
  • WORD PRESS REVIEWS
  • MyCloud by Western Digital, a hard drive that doesn't last. Don't purchase Western Digital.
    Western Digital tubes its loyal customers for profit
    October 17, 2021
  • Macho Themes website front page. Don't buy their themes. They don't work
    Difficulties with Macho Themes for WordPress
    August 21, 2021
  • TECHNOLOGY REVIEWS
  • Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings. Photo courtesy of the Illinois State Senate
    Senator Michael Hastings supports bill to protect consumers from pesky auto-renewal charges
    March 18, 2023
  • Wreaths Across America Radio logo
    Wreaths Across America Radio Announces New Strategic Partnerships with Veteran Radio Programs
    February 6, 2023
  • Dr. Helen Edwards Fermilab particle physicist
    Foster, Durbin, Duckworth introduce resolution to name Fermilab Research Center after renowned physicist Dr. Helen Edwards
    February 3, 2023

Follow Ray Hanania at
Gab.com, MeWe.com
IDobbinate.com,
Twitter, Facebook

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

First Installment of the Property Tax

What We’re Reading

Arab News Newspaper Leading English Language Publication in the GulfArab News Newspaper

Ray Hanania on Politics
SW News Newspaper Group

  • SPORTS
  • Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8
    Major League Rugby 2023 Championship to take place at SeatGeek Stadium July 8
    March 17, 2023
  • Chicago Wolves 2022-2023 season
    Chicago Wolves top Stars for second win in a row
    October 25, 2022
  • Stagg Marching Band Pit Crew as efficient as a NASCAR pit stop! The team that does a lot of the work to help the Stagg High school band perform works behind the scenes like a NASCAR pit stop. The students are profiled in this feature
    Stagg Marching Band Pit Crew as efficient as a NASCAR pit stop!
    August 31, 2022
  • Soccer. Photo by Md Mahdi on Unsplash
    International soccer returns to SeatGeek Stadium
    August 7, 2022
  • NEWS RELEASES
  • Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights
    Psychological support for divorcing dads topic of CLE at Leving firm
    March 14, 2023
  • Tony Award Winner Robert Falls returns to Goodman Theatre to direct his adaptation of "The Cherry Orchard" Photo courtesy Goodman Theatre
    Tony Award Winner Robert Falls returns to Goodman Theatre to direct his adaptation of “The Cherry Orchard”
    March 6, 2023
  • Popular Ziyad Brand Green Za'ater. Photo courtesy of Ziyad Brothers
    Ziyad Brothers reports that the appeal of Mediterranean foods continues to rise among consumers
    February 16, 2023
  • Jeffery M. Leving fights for your rights
    No-contact order protects child from reported abuse
    February 16, 2023
  • Author Patrick Girondi
    Prominent producer to write screen adaptation of story on the fight against Thalassemia
    February 8, 2023
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • Ronette McCarthy, a candidate for Mayor of Palos Park, addresses the Palos Park Village Board on the issue of expanding Wu's House parking into land adjacent to the huge restaurant on the east.
    Whoa is Wu’s House in Palos Park
    March 14, 2023
  • Popular Ziyad Brand Green Za'ater. Photo courtesy of Ziyad Brothers
    Ziyad Brothers reports that the appeal of Mediterranean foods continues to rise among consumers
    February 16, 2023
  • Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar
    Cook County Announces Call for Transportation and Community Grant Program Applications
    January 23, 2023
  • money $20 dollar bill, dollars, cash
    Buckner unveils plan to help businesses and strengthen job
    January 19, 2023

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Click this link to watch or use the widget below:

Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.
Email Ray Hanania for more information about performing at your event at rghanania@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme