Citizen Suburban Times Weekly 11-06-2019

Citizen Week of Nov. 6, 2019

| Vol. 3 | No. 13 | www.citizennewspapergroup.com

SUBURBAN TIMES WEEKLY

Congresswoman Robin Kelly recently announced that the Homewood, Calumet City, and South Chicago Heights Fire Department would all be receiving federal grants through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.

SEVERAL SOUTH SUBURBAN FIRE DEPARTMENTS RECEIVE FEDERAL GRANTS TO SUPPORT HIRING Congresswoman Robin Kelly recently announced that several south suburban fire departments would be receiving major federal grants through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. Included in the recently announced grant recipients are the Homewood, Calumet City, and South Chicago Heights Fire Departments. SEE PAGE 2

POLITISCOPE

Cities with more black residents rely more on traffic tickets and fines for revenue PAGE 2

NEWS

NEWS

South Suburban Village Celebrates Opening Of New Municipal Center South Suburban Village Celebrates Opening Of New Municipal Center PAGE 4

Nursing Home Violations for Third Quarter 2019 Include South Suburban Facilities And Others PAGE 3

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2 | CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of Nov. 6, 2019

COMMUNITY

Several South Suburban Fire Departments Receive Federal Grants To Support Hiring Continued from page 1

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

Congresswoman Robin Kelly recently announced that several south suburban fire departments would be receiving major federal grants through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. Included in the recently announced grant recipients are the Homewood, Calumet City, and South Chicago Heights Fire Departments.

“These federal funds help fill the budget gaps that so many of our local municipalities experience on a regular basis,” said Congresswoman Kelly in a press release. “Every cent

of the $3.2 million will go directly toward the protection of our citizens, our communities and the health of our brave firefighters.”

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant program is administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and was created to support fire departments across the country and to increase the nation’s ability to respond to fires and other related hazards, according to information provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

During 2018, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program distributed $315 million in grants to fire departments, state fire training academies, and non-affiliated EMS organi-

zations to help them update their emergency response equipment, their personal protective equipment, their emergency vehicles, and support their ongoing training programs, according to information provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Thanks to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, the Homewood Fire Department received a $537,517 grant that will be used to hire three additional career firefighters, the Calumet City Fire Department received $565,419 grant that will also fund the hiring of new officers, and the South Chicago Heights Fire Department will be

receiving $26,666 to support a community risk reduction assessment accessed by first responders throughout the community, according to information provided by the Office of Congresswoman Robin Kelly.

Other south suburban fire departments who have benefited from Assistance to the Firefighters Grant program include those in Chicago Heights, Steger, Flossmoor, South Holland, Phoenix, Glenwood, Hazel Crest, Park Forest, Matteson, Riverdale, Thornton, and the Crete Township Fire Protection District, according to information provided by the Office of Congresswoman Robin Kelly.

POLITISCOPE

Cities with more black residents rely more on traffic tickets and fines for revenue

BY AKHEIL SINGLA

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the last time I got a speeding ticket. It was nearly a decade ago and it’s a pretty unremarkable story: I was on my way back to Columbus, Ohio, from a friend’s wedding and was going something like 15 mph over the speed limit. An officer pulled me over, asked me if I knew why he did, walked back to his squad car and returned with a ticket for US$90.

At the time, I didn’t think much about it. I was 22, I was speeding, and that is what happened when you got caught. I didn’t consider the motives of the officer, his law enforcement agency or the financial status of the city he worked for. And I definitely didn’t consider the fact that I was a brown man driving through rural Ohio.

But now that I’m a scholar of public finance, it’s all I can think about. My recent research – and that of others – shows that communities with more residents of color are more likely to rely on revenue coming from traffic tickets and other minor fines.

Fines as revenue Local governments on average don’t rely all that much on revenue from things like traffic citations, termed fines and forfeitures.

According to data from the Census of Governments, the average city generated about $21 per person from fines in 2012, the last year for which there is national data. For reference,

Akheil Singla

the average city generated about $150 per person from sales taxes at the time.

But there is a lot of variation: Some cities get more than 10% or 20% of their revenue from fines.

Why might some communities rely on fines way more than others do?

One reason could be higher incidences of crime. Another might be that certain governments make a strategic choice to target passersby via speed traps. It could be a response to budgetary shortfalls or fiscal stress. And still another might be the race of the population or law enforcement agency.

If it’s not clear how or why this could involve race, you should take a look at the Department of Justice report on in Ferguson, Missouri. After Michael Brown, a black man living in a majority-black community, was shot and killed by a white police officer serving in a majority-white police

force, the department investigated.

It found that officers in Ferguson were focused on revenue generation, a practice known as “policing for profit.” Police aggressively fined residents, primarily black residents, without much consideration of whether doing so enhanced public trust or safety.

According to the report, “The harms of Ferguson’s police and court practices are borne disproportionately

by African Americans, and there is evidence that this is due in part to intentional discrimination on the basis of race.”

But was Ferguson an isolated case?

And, more generally, what explains the variation in city use of fines? My colleagues – Charlotte Kirschner and Samuel B. Stone, also scholars of public finance – and I set out to find out.

Who relies on fines In our study, we looked at a representative sample of 93 California cities from 2009 to 2014 to determine what affects how much cities fine residents and rely on fines for revenue.

We examined how fines were affected by levels of crime and public safety, city financial health and budgetary stress, and the racial composition of both the population and the law enforcement agency serving it.

We found no relationship between crime or budgetary stress and fines.

However, we did find that cities with larger black populations fine residents more on a per capita basis and are more reliant on fines. www.citizennewspapergroup.com

All else equal, our results showed that a 1% increase in black population is associated with a 5% increase in per capita revenue from fines and a 1% increase in share of total revenue from fines.

Furthermore, the cities seemingly most reliant on fines are the ones with the highest percentages of black residents being served by law enforcement that is whiter than its community.

Take Inglewood: In 2010, it was 43% black and 23% white, but its law enforcement agency was flipped, at nearly 40% white and 16% black. The city generated nearly 5% of its revenues from fines, more than double the average city in California.

Despite the similarities to Ferguson, it is really important for me to emphasize that our research isn’t accusing anyone of being racist or intentionally discriminating against minorities – though, to be fair, our results don’t preclude this explanation either. Rather, I’m just highlighting that even seemingly colorblind policies, like a $90 traffic citation for speeding, can have outcomes that are very much not colorblind.

Fixing the problem Unfortunately, I wasn’t very surprised by our results. Even setting aside the Ferguson case, there’s a lot of research that points in this direction.

First, policing for profit via civil asset forfeiture and traffic tickets is, unfortunately, a documented phenomenon that alters police behavior.

Second, studies persistently find

that minority residents and communities of color are more common recipients of law enforcement action and punishment.

And third, government agencies that are more representative of their communities along gender and racial dimensions have been demonstrated to reduce unfavorable outcomes for minority groups across many studies.

The only thing we did was show that these things are all connected.

So, how can Americans solve this issue? I think we should start by eliminating the incentives governments might have to fine for revenue generation. Do this by pooling money from fines at the state level and redistributing it evenly instead of letting local governments make their own decisions.

Then, elect more ethnic and racial minorities to be mayors or serve on city councils and proactively focus on ensuring meaningful representation in the unelected bureaucracy. Our research demonstrates these changes should alter the distribution of fines, but making them so would probably have other beneficial effects for underserved communities as well.

If nothing else, the next time you get pulled over for speeding – especially if it’s for doing 55 in a 54 – you should ask yourself why it’s happening. It might be a lot less about how fast you were going than you’d think.

Akheil Singla is an Assistant Professor at the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University.

CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of Nov. 6, 2019

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NEWS

Nursing Home Violations for Third Quarter 2019 Include South Suburban Facilities And Others The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) recently announced that the 2019 Third Quarterly Report of Nursing Home Violators is now posted on IDPH’s website. The report contains additional information about the violations.

The facilities listed below were cited with type “AA” or “A” violations of the Nursing Home Care Act and processed between July-September 2019.

An “AA” violation is cited when there is a condition or occurrence at the facility that proximately caused a resident’s death. An “A” violation pertains to a condition in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious mental or physical harm will result, or has resulted.

The following facilities were cited for “AA” violations.

Aperion Care Forest Park, a 232-bed skilled care facility located at 8200 West Roosevelt Road in Forest Park, was fined $50,000 for failure to follow a physician’s orders resulting in the death of a resident.

Lexington of Lake Zurich, a 203-bed skilled care facility located at 900 South Rand Road in Lake Zurich, was fined $50,000 for failure to immediately implement emergency services for two residents who subsequently died.

The following facilities were cited with “A” violations.

Alden Town Manor Rehab & HCC, a 249-bed skilled care facility, located at 6120 West Ogden in Cicero, was fined $25,000 for failure to immediately transfer a resident with a significant change in the resident’s level of consciousness.

Amberwood Care Centre, a 141-bed skilled care facility located at 2313 North Rockton Avenue in Rockford, was fined $25,000 for failure to monitor a resident’s skin resulting in a pressure injury.

Aperion Care Cairo, an 83-bed skilled care

facility located at 2001 Cedar Street in Cairo, was fined $75,000 for three type “A” violations for failure to supervise a resident and provide individualized interventions; to implement immediate interventions to prevent abuse; and identify, assess, monitor, and treat wounds according to the physician’s orders.

Avantara Long Grove, a 195-bed skilled care facility located at 1666 RFD (Checker Road) in Long Grove, was fined $25,000 for failure to assess a resident’s health, which contributed to a delay in treatment.

Belmont Village Oak Park, a 150-bed shelter care facility located at 1035 Madison Street in Oak Park, was fined $25,000 for failure to follow-up with care for a resident who had an unwitnessed fall, and for failure to file an investigative report.

Bethalto Care Center, formerly located at 815 South Prairie Street in Bethalto, was fined $25,000 for failure to notify IDPH, residents, and others of impending closure, and for lack of resident transfer and closing plans.

Bridge Care Suites, a 75-bed skilled care facility located at 3089 Old Jacksonville Road in Springfield, was fined $25,000 for failure to provide medication as ordered.

Countryside Nursing & Rehab Center, a 197-bed skilled and intermediate care facility located at 1635 East 154th Street in Dolton, was fined $25,000 for failure to prevent a cognitively impaired resident from being sexually coerced.

Elmwood Terrace Healthcare Ctr, a 68bed skilled care facility located at 1017 West Galena in Aurora, was fined $25,000 for failure to monitor and implement interventions to prevent a maggot infestation in a resident’s wound.

Gardenview Manor, a 213-bed skilled and intermediate care facility located at 14792 Catlin-Tilton Road in Danville, was fined $25,000 for failure to ensure residents received the correct medications as order by

a physician.

Generations at Regency, a 300-bed skilled care facility located at 6631 Milwaukee Avenue in Niles, was fined $25,000 for failure to develop a plan of care to assist a resident and prevent falls.

Generations at Rock Island, a 177-bed skilled care facility located at 2545 24th Street in Rock Island, was fined $25,000 for failure to ensure competently trained staff are present to provide routine care and emergency management to residents who are ventilator dependent and require tracheostomy care.

Good Samaritan Home, a 231-bed skilled, intermediate, and shelter care facility located at 2130 Harrison Street in Quincy, was fined $25,000 for failure to protect a resident from sexual abuse by a staff member and implement its abuse police to remove the alleged perpetrator from direct contact with residents.

Grove of Evanston L&R, a 124-bed skilled care facility located at 500 Asbury Avenue in Evanston, was fined $25,000 for failure to assess a resident and notify the physician of the resident’s change/decline in condition.

Gove of Fox Valley, a 158-bed skilled care facility located at 1601 North Farnsworth Avenue in Aurora, was fined $25,000 for failure to ensure two staff members assisted residents with bed mobility and toilet use.

Meadowbrook Manor, a 298-bed skilled care facility located at 431 West Remington Boulevard in Bolingbrook, was fined $25,000 for failure to ensure safe practices for turning a resident in bed and monitoring a resident at risk for falls.

Oak Brook Care, a 156-bed skilled care facility located at 2013 Midwest Road in Oak Brook, was fined $25,000 for failure to provide a safe, obstacle free environment, and assist a resident in a timely manner.

Regency Care of Sterling, a 130-bed skilled care facility located at 612 West St. Mary’s Street in Sterling, was fined $25,000 for failure

to immediately notify the physician about the fall of a resident with a history of brain bleed and blood thinning medication.

River Bluff Nursing Home, a 304-bed skilled care facility located at 4401 North Main Street in Rockford, was fined $12,500 for failure to provide a resident food in the consistency needed.

Rosewood Care Ctr St. Charles, a 109-bed skilled care facility located at 850 Dunham Road in St. Charles, was fined $25,000 for failure to supervise a resident at risk for aspiration during a meal.

Royal Oaks Care Center, a 200-bed skilled care facility located at 605 East Church Street in Kewanee, was fined $25,000 for failure to identify and treat a pressure ulcer for a resident. The facility was also fined $2,200 for failure to safely transfer a resident physically without harm.

South Holland Manor Health & Rehab, a 216-bed skilled care facility located at 2145 East 170th Street in South Holland, was fined $25,000 for failure to follow its policy to have two staff members present when using a mechanical lift.

Villa at Windsor Park, a 240-bed skilled care facility located at 2649 East 75th Street in Chicago, was fined $25,000 for failure to implement its policy for monitoring residents and having a functioning monitor alarm system to alert staff when a resident with a wandering behavior attempts to leave.

Villa Health Care East, a 109-bed skilled care facility located at 100 Marian parkway in Sherman, was fined $12,500 for failure to ensure medications are given to the right resident per the physician’s order.

Windsor Estates Nursing and Rehab, a 200-bed skilled care facility located at 18300 South Lavergne in County Club Hills, was fined $25,000 for failure to supervise and implement interventions for a resident with a history of falls.

84 Advocate Physicians Named Top Cancer Specialists by Chicago Magazine 84 Advocate Health Care physicians are among those recognized as Chicago’s Top Cancer Specialists in the October 2019 issue of Chicago Magazine. This list recognizes physicians across Chicagoland who were nominated by their peers for providing the best care in cancer health services.

Chicago Magazine partners with Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., a New York City-based health care research company, to survey, screen and select the list of outstanding physicians in Chicago’s six-county area. Physicians were nominated by their peers for excellence as top cancer specialists. The list was com-

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with $1,500,000 in Second Chance Prizes

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piled by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., a healthcare research and information company.

For a full list of Chicagoland physicians recognized, visit http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/October-2019/Chicagos-Top-Cancer-Doctors/

4 | CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of Nov. 6, 2019

NEWS

This page is sponsored by

South Suburban Village Celebrates Opening Of New Municipal Center

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

The Village of Hazel Crest recently hosted a grand opening ceremony for its new Vernard L. Alsberry Jr. Municipal Center located on 3601 183rd St. The new municipal center, which is named after the current Village President, provides office space for village services, meeting rooms and event space for the community to utilize, and is outfitted with state-of-the-art technology.

When Vernard Alsberry Jr., president of the Village of Hazel Crest, was first elected to serve as a trustee for the Village of Hazel Crest in 2003, he said that they were already having talks about the need for a new municipal center and when he was eventually elected to serve as Village President in 2013, he became motivated to find a new facility for the Village to operate out of.

“We started looking around when I first got elected but after my first term and going into to the second election, we really got serious about finding a new place,” said Alsberry. “We brought together the Village Trustees and the Village Manager and we took road trips. We went out to municipalities on the far west and in the northwest suburbs to look at some of their facilities and to see how their downtown areas were looking because we want this new municipal center to be part of an overall revitalization in the Village of Hazel Crest.”

The Village was able to purchase the building that is now home to the Vernard L. Alsberry Jr. Municipal Center from the South Suburban Land Bank Authority and do a complete renovation of the space to accommodate their needs.

During the development phase, Alsberry said that he asked the Village employees to come up with ideas and recommendations about what would make their work environment the most functional for them and he then turned those ideas over

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President of the Village of Hazel Crest, Vernard L. Alsberry Jr. (pictured), recently celebrated the grand opening of the Vernard L. Alsberry Jr. Municipal Center located on 3601 183rd St. in Hazel Crest. Photo Credit: Katherine Newman

to the designer who worked to incorporate them.

“Being in this new building is like getting a new house and everyone is excited and they love all the bells and whistles.

I also think that when businesses come here to do business with our community, it displays professionalism. When they walk in here, they’re going to think ‘wow, I would like to bring my businesses here’ because of what we have in Hazel Crest,” said Alsberry.

Overall, Alsberry said he is humbled to know that his legacy

will be carried on through the new municipal center which was named in his honor. He said that he is happy that the staff and the residents of the Village of Hazel Crest have something to be proud of and a place to take care of their business.

“I’m glad that the staff and everyone who was involved in this process was patient because it wasn’t easy. Even as we tweak everything and keep moving along, I’m glad people are patient with that and I’m so excited that the citizens are excited about it,” said Alsberry.

Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $11 Million In Federal Funding For Firefighter Resources In Chicagoland

In a recent survey, 66% of registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) stated they recommend both food and supplements to their clients and 70% personally take supplements four times or more per week.

Survey: Two-Thirds of Dietitians Recommend Food and Supplements to their Clients and the Majority Take Supplements Daily Themselves For the majority of health care professionals, food will always come first, but supplements do still have a place. In Trust Transparency Center’s 2019 Registered Dietitian Insights Survey of 200 US-based registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) released recently, 66% of RDNs stated they recommend both food and supplements to their clients and 70% personally take

supplements four times or more per week.

Most dietitians surveyed were formally educated on the use of supplements, generally while obtaining their nutrition degree (73%) followed through by continuing education (60%). They stay informed regarding supplements via continuing education, medical journals, and colleagues.

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U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) recently announced a total of $11,194,763.84 in federal funding to communities in the Chicagoland area through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The AFG program provides first-responder organizations access to much-needed emergency response equipment, personal protective equipment, firefighting and emergency vehicles and training in an effort to create safer, more prepared communities.

“Firefighters risk their lives and run toward danger when others run away,” Duckworth said.

“We owe it to them to make sure they have the best equipment and training, and I’m proud to join Senator Durbin in announcing this funding to help ensure our firefighters have the resources they need to keep their communities in the Chicagoland area safe.”

Since Fiscal Year 2001, the AFG program has provided approximately $7.1 billion in grants to first-responder organizations. The program is administered by the DHS’s Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.

CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of Nov. 6, 2019

Veterans Day Memorial Service SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2019 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Thornton Township Senior Center 1420 Huntington Drive, Calumet City Special Guest Speaker: Teresa Chandler Community Outreach Specialist Cook County Assessor’s Office

For more information call: 708-596-6040 x2011 Lunch will be served immediately after the Memorial Service JOYCE M. WASHINGTION Trustee NORBERT CIPOWSKI Trustee STAFFORD C. OWENS Trustee GERALD “JERRY” JONES Trustee

JACQUELINE E. DAVIS-RIVERA Clerk CASSANDRA ELSTON FRANK M. ZUCCARELLI Assessor C.I.A.O. Supervisor GEARY DEPUE nd Highway Commissioner 900 E. 162 St. South Holland, IL 60473 Phone 708-596-6040 www.thorntontownship.com Fax 708-596-3207 facebook.com/thorntontwp twitter.com/ThorntonTwp

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