PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR SPOKE IN GREENVILLE ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE
State Public Health Director, Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, was at the Bond County Health Department Wednesday to meet with Health Department Director Maxine Barth, Mayor Alan Gaffner, members of the Health Board, employees of the Health Department and various representatives from other organizations. He spoke to everyone about the importance of having health insurance and how the Governor's Illinois Covered plan addresses the healthcare crisis in the state.
Over 1.4 million Illinois residents are without healthcare, most of whom are working adults. Another 9.7 million who do have healthcare, can't afford it. The Illinois Covered would have three parts to it. One would be for small business and individuals to create a collective group to negotiate better healthcare prices. The second part is for those who cant' afford the healthcare they have; the state would give a rebate above the researched cost of what the individual has paid. And the last part would be similar to those who are on Medicaid.
Dr. Whitaker says that the big problem now is finding a funding source for the Illinois Covered Plan. WGEL will have more from Dr. Whitaker's trip to Bond County in a future newscast.
Bond County Health Department Director Maxine Barth and Dr. Eric E. Whitaker
POSTAL SERVICE FOOD DRIVE OVER WEEKEND
The U.S. Postal Service held a food drive this past weekend. Residents were asked to donate non-perishable food items by leaving them for mail carriers to pick up on their regular Saturday routes. WGEL spoke with Greenville Letter Carrier Ed Nowlin who said that this year they collected between 2,000 and 2,500 pounds of food. Items donated included cereals, canned food, boxed food and others.
Nowlin is in charge of the drive for Greenville. He said that Post Office has been holding this food drive for over 10 years and the totals from this year are comparable to last year. All items will then be donated to the Bond County Food Pantry at the Senior Center.
FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO CITY HALL TUESDAY NIGHT
A smell of smoke called Greenville firemen to the Municipal Building Tuesday at 8:47 PM. Upon arrival, no fire was found, but smoke was coming from one of the light fixtures in the foyer. A faulty light ballast was the cause of the smoke. Firemen turned off power to the light. They were back in service by 9:05.
Greenville firemen also responded to a report of a grass fire on a vacant lot East of Cardinal Hill Nursing home at 6:42 PM Wednesday. However, upon arrival, firemen found no fire and were back in service by 7:02 PM.
