Medically-trained National Guard sent to Sheridan Correctional Center to help with health screenings

Ten soldiers from the Illinois National Guard headquartered in Urbana will be assigned to provide medical support at Sheridan Correctional Facility.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker activated about 80 additional Illinois National Guard soldiers and airmen from throughout the state in support of COVID-19 response, bringing the total number of activated Illinois National Guard members to about 650.

The soldiers from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team assigned to Sheridan are medically trained and will be providing health screenings to the inmates at the 1,500-inmate facility along with the Illinois Department of Corrections health professionals at the prison.

As of Monday, morning Sheridan Correctional Center had the second-most inmates test positive with COVID-19 in the state's prison system. Ten inmates have confirmed cases of COVID-19, along with four staff members. Stateville has the most confirmed coronavirus cases with 124.

An inventory updated Saturday shows Sheridan Correctional Center has 51 COVID-19 tests, 18 thermometers (including two no touch thermometers), 3,850 N-95 masks, 7,700 surgical masks and 74 surgical masks with shields, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The facility was placed on lockdown in late March, after a contractual worker tested positive for COVID-19. During a lockdown, no visitors are allowed. There is no movement around the facility except for medical care. Staff who work with individuals in isolation and quarantine, as well as in healthcare units, are wearing full personal protective equipment and staff are wearing some PPE.

National Guard soldiers are already assisting in La Salle County. About 30 soldiers from the 108th Sustainment Brigade, based in Chicago, helped county emergency management in La Salle, Livingston, Kendall, DeKalb, and several other counties, gathering information and reporting data to the Medical Operations Center in the State Emergency Operations Center in Springfield.

"The men and women in our National Guard have been tasked with many challenging missions in this fight against a deadly virus," said Brig. Gen. Richard Neely, the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard. "I'm confident in their abilities, resilience and strength."

Among the 80 new deployments, 40 members of the Illinois National Guard manning the Harwood Heights Community Testing site in Chicago and the McLean County Community Testing site in Bloomington will establish a third COVID-19 test site in Markham. The test site is scheduled to open Tuesday, April 14, and will provide between 250 to 500 COVID-19 tests daily. Criteria for this third site will be determined by health officials.