Monthly Archives: May 2020
Read more about the article Rantoul Foods resumes hiring; receives donation of face shields
Rantoul Foods in Rantoul, IL on Sunday, May 17, 2020. photo by Darrell Hoemann/The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

Rantoul Foods resumes hiring; receives donation of face shields

Rantoul Foods, which has had at least 87 workers stricken with Covid-19 at its meat processing plant, started hiring again. But the meat processing company said new workers “must take a Covid-19 test and receive negative results prior to starting work,” in an email Monday to the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting.

Continue ReadingRantoul Foods resumes hiring; receives donation of face shields
Read more about the article Nursing home finances lead to patient suffering, staff burnoutDarrell Hoemann
Champaign-Urbana Nursing and Rehab (302 Burwash Ave, Savoy) on Monday, April 6, 2020. The care facility has been cited for a deficiency in infection prevention and control in 2019. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

Nursing home finances lead to patient suffering, staff burnout

A nursing home resident at Alden Town Manor Rehab & HCC died after tumbling down five concrete stairs onto the pavement, according to state inspections reports. The receptionist said, “no one can really cover for me on the weekends when I step away from the desk,” according to the report by the Illinois Department of Public Health about the 2018 incident.

Continue ReadingNursing home finances lead to patient suffering, staff burnout
Read more about the article Rural residents face diminishing access to quality nursing homesDarrell Hoemann
Champaign-Urbana Nursing and Rehab (302 Burwash Ave, Savoy) on Monday, April 6, 2020. The care facility has been cited for a deficiency in infection prevention and control in 2019. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

Rural residents face diminishing access to quality nursing homes

Many rural counties in Illinois face the same lack of choice when it comes to high-quality nursing homes. Rural nursing homes are buffeted with a number of issues that often lead to understaffing and low quality of care. In addition, some nursing homes in rural areas are closing because of financial challenges. There are 52 counties in Illinois with a population of under 30,000, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, and 45 of which has three or fewer nursing homes. Pope, Pulaski and Putnam, three counties with over 16,000 people in total, have no nursing homes within the counties.

Continue ReadingRural residents face diminishing access to quality nursing homes
Read more about the article Rantoul Foods Covid-19 cases hold at 83; more reported at Vista OutdoorPam Dempsey, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Medical staff prepare to test workers for Covid-19 at Rantoul Foods on Friday, May 8, 2020, as part of a two-day mass testing event. The meat processing plant had 55 confirmed cases as of Friday.

Rantoul Foods Covid-19 cases hold at 83; more reported at Vista Outdoor

Coronavirus testing is once again optional for workers at one of Central Illinois’ largest meat processing plants as the number of confirmed cases hit 83 this week.

Continue ReadingRantoul Foods Covid-19 cases hold at 83; more reported at Vista Outdoor
Read more about the article Mass testing at meat plant finds 27 more coronavirus casesPam Dempsey, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Medical staff prepare to test workers for Covid-19 at Rantoul Foods on Friday, May 8, 2020, as part of a two-day mass testing event. The meat processing plant had 55 confirmed cases as of Friday.

Mass testing at meat plant finds 27 more coronavirus cases

Rantoul Foods, one of Central Illinois’ largest meat processing plants, will partially shut down Monday to undergo additional sanitization following a mass testing event at the plant Friday and Saturday that found 27 more cases of Covid-19 among employees, according to a company release. Though yet to be confirmed by health officials, this pushes the total number of employees who have become sick to 82.

Continue ReadingMass testing at meat plant finds 27 more coronavirus cases
Read more about the article Testing accelerated at Rantoul meat processing plant hit by coronovirus outbreakPam Dempsey, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Medical staff prepare to test workers for Covid-19 at Rantoul Foods on Friday, May 8, 2020, as part of a two-day mass testing event. The meat processing plant had 55 confirmed cases as of Friday.

Testing accelerated at Rantoul meat processing plant hit by coronovirus outbreak

Rantoul Foods, one of Central Illinois’ largest meat processing plants, accelerated its mass testing Friday as the number of confirmed cases at the plant rose to 55.

Continue ReadingTesting accelerated at Rantoul meat processing plant hit by coronovirus outbreak

Processing plant hit with Covid-19 under scrutiny since March

Public health officials said they visited Rantoul Foods - which had 47 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of May 5 - on April 27th after receiving reports of Covid-19 cases among company employees. “All of this was completely preventable,” Pryde said in an interview Tuesday, noting had the plant taken action earlier.

Continue ReadingProcessing plant hit with Covid-19 under scrutiny since March
Read more about the article Covid-19 outbreak hits Rantoul meat processing plant
A livestock truck in line at the Rantoul Foods plant in Rantoul, Il on Tuesday, December 18, 2018. photo by Darrell Hoemann/The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

Covid-19 outbreak hits Rantoul meat processing plant

Just days before President Trump ordered meat packing plants to remain open to mitigate food shortages, Rantoul Foods in Central Illinois saw its first case. There are now 21. One of the largest meat processing plants in central Illinois is battling an outbreak of coronavirus in which 21 cases of  Covid-19 have been already been counted, a company official confirmed Monday

Rantoul Foods, which is based in Rantoul and processes between 30 million and 35 million pounds of pork each month, saw its first case on April 25, said Jerry Jacobsen, the company's director of human resources, safety and business administration. Since then 20 more cases have been reported.

Jacobsen said the company is taking safety measures to bring the outbreak under control.

“The first thing is the health of our employees," Jacobsen said, “because without our employees we don’t have a business.” 

The first worker identified with Covid-19 has now recovered and returned to work, he said. 

Continue ReadingCovid-19 outbreak hits Rantoul meat processing plant