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County Board OKs cost controls New provision requires approval if any department wants to acquire government surplus By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Free military surplus isn't always free, as far as county government is concerned. A new provision of the McHenry County Board’s policy for developing its budget requires board approval if any
department wants to acquire government surplus that will result in additional costs for fuel, insurance, storage or training, or if employee costs are incurred to retrieve it. The change was one of about a dozen to the County Board’s budget policy that members approved Tuesday evening on a 19-1 vote.
What it means The McHenry County Board voted Tuesday evening, 19-1, for adopting a budget policy that includes requiring board permission for any department to acquire government surplus that will result in added costs.
The proposal came from Associate County Administrator for Finance Ralph Sarbaugh,
who has expressed concern that “free” surplus under a federal program that funnels
it to local law enforcement can come with significant associated costs, especially when it comes to vehicles. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office has acquired millions of dollars worth of surplus, for itself and for other county government departments, under the federal Law Enforcement Support Office program, according to
documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Existing policy requires any purchase greater than $20,000 by a county government department to go before the County Board for approval, even if the expense is included in the budget. But almost all
See SURPLUS, page A6
Rauner urges women to get out the vote
REGIONAL HEALTH CARE
Waiting in the ER
Gubernatorial candidate outlines campaign goals By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Bernadette Wheeler plays with her son Alex Lyberger, 2, after dinner Monday in their McHenry home. According to Wheeler, her stay in Centegra Hospital – McHenry was 8½ hours.
Area hospitals look to shorten emergency room wait times By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com Area emergency rooms have a goal in mind: Move patients from door to doctor in 30 minutes or less. Hospitals are continually examining ways to reduce the amount of time ER patients wait to be seen by a health care provider to fall closer in line with the state and national benchmarks. But at the same time, hospital officials remain pragmatic that, sometimes, that goal is simply unreachable. Say you come in with strep throat at the same time as a critical car accident.
You’re going to wait, hospital experts said. Heart attacks before broken bones, they explain. But area hospitals are rolling out ways to make waits less painful. Most hospitals have initiated protocols to begin treatment as soon as a patient walks through the emergency room doors. A triage nurse can begin taking vitals, drawing blood, ordering tests and X-rays, or administering medications while a patient waits to see a provider. “We don’t wait for the provider to see the patient to begin the treatment or diagnostic tests,” Centegra’s Director of Emergency Services Dr. Joe Keenan said.
About 9 p.m. June 28, Bernadette Wheeler entered the emergency room at Centegra Hospital – McHenry. Wheeler, a 31-year-old McHenry resident, had been trying to kick a fever for the past four days, and over-the-counter medications weren’t cutting it. She also complained of pain in her lower abdomen and presented a raised red splotch on her stomach. It was an hour and a half before Wheeler saw a triage nurse, she said. It was another 3½ hours before she was in an ER bed, and three hours after that before an
See HOSPITALS, page A6
ER wait times at area hospitals
CRYSTAL LAKE – Bruce Rauner had an important message for the women gathered at Boulder Ridge Country Club on Wednesday. In an election he believes will be close when all the votes are counted, suburban women could make the difference. That was the message and call to action Rauner gave to the more than 100 people gathered at the Women for Rauner gathering that also featured his wife, Diana Rauner, state Sen. Pamela Althoff, R-McHenry, and his running mate, Evelyn Sanguinetti. “Women are going to decide this election,” Bruce Rauner told the crowd. “If we get our voters to the polls, we're going to win.” The Republican gubernatorial candidate outlined many of the same goals he has featured in his campaign advertisements and debates against Gov. Pat Quinn, saying he wanted to create jobs, reduce government, invest in education and eliminate corruption in Springfield. He answered written questions from the audience ranging from his thoughts on raising the minimum wage to his plan on accomplishing his goals with longtime Springfield leaders Michael Madigan and John Cullerton in high-ranking positions. Bruce Rauner said there were misconceptions on many of his positions including those two. He said he would support raising minimum wage as long as it came with business-friendly policies such as tort reform and workers compensation reform.
Election Central Follow the local, state and national races at NWHerald. com/election-central.
More inside U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and his opponent, state Sen. Jim Oberweis, traded barbs on same-sex marriage, services for veterans and a ban on assault weapons in their first debate. PAGE B3
See RAUNER, page A6 This data on area hospitals looks at average emergency room wait times in area hospitals, as reported by hospitals to the federal government. Waiting time refers to the average time patients spent in the emergency room before being seen by a doctor. Time before admission refers to the average time patients spent in the emergency room before being admitted to the hospital. Broken bone refers to the average time patients with broken bones had to wait before receiving pain medication. Hospital Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, Barrington Centegra Hospital – McHenry Centegra Hospital – Woodstock Mercy Harvard Hospital Presence Saint Joseph Hospital – Elgin Sherman Hospital, Elgin Illinois average National average
Waiting time 55 minutes 44 minutes 31 minutes 20 minutes 19 minutes 18 minutes 28 minutes 28 minutes
Time until sent home 2 hours, 50 minutes 2 hours, 40 minutes 2 hours, 13 minutes 1 hour, 28 minutes 2 hours, 20 minutes 2 hours, 2 minutes 2 hours, 17 minutes 2 hours, 17 minutes
Time before admission 4 hours, 40 minutes 4 hours, 49 minutes 4 hours, 10 minutes 3 hours, 20 minutes 4 hours, 22 minutes 4 hours, 6 minutes 4 hours, 21 minutes 4 hours, 35 minutes
Broken bone 1 hour, 9 minutes 1 hour, 7 minutes 50 minutes 35 minutes 55 minutes 45 minutes 52 minutes 59 minutes
Source: ProPublica
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Cary standoff
Small-town teams Governor race
Police responded to a report of a barricaded man in his home / A3
Despite low participation numbers, small schools still love football / C1
Candidates discuss the future of outdoor organizations / C4
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner talks with supporters Wednesday at the Women for Rauner gathering at Boulder Ridge Country Club.
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