Central and Southern Illinois— With new COVID-19 cases increasing in Illinois, leaders at HSHS Illinois hospitals, HSHS Medical Group clinics and Prairie Cardiovascular are urging community members to get the COVID-19 vaccine and follow masking and social distancing guidelines advised by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 11,682 new cases of COVID-19 over the past week. According to a recent IDPH update, cases of COVID-19 in Illinois have increased by 46% over last few weeks and hospitalizations are up 35%, including increases in ICU admissions by 24% and a 41% increase of people with COVID-19 on ventilators.

HSHS Illinois hospitals have seen a two-fold increase in patients admitted for COVID-19 since July 2021. “The trend we are seeing is that patients who are admitted and ventilated at our HSHS hospitals are unvaccinated,” said Marc Shelton, MD, FACC, HSHS senior vice president and chief clinical officer. “While we have seen an increase of COVID-19 patients in the recent weeks, we are not near the totals seen prior to vaccine availability. Vaccinating yourself and your loved ones will help protect our community from the devastating consequences of this latest surge due to the Delta variant.” HSHS hospitals continue to provide care to any type of patient. No one should delay care, especially emergent, for fear of COVID-19 or overloading at any health care entity.

While many are concerned about older adults getting COVID-19, CDC reports that severe disease and hospitalization occurs in all age groups, including adolescents aged 12-17 years. HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital has seen increased pediatric patients in the emergency department and admitted to inpatient care due to COVID-19 in the last two weeks.

HSHS is also seeing a recent increase in the number of COVID-19 tests requested and administered. Therefore, HSHS Medical Group has nearly quadrupled the number of spots available in the drive-thru COVID-19 testing/vaccination site in Springfield near SCHEELS.

“Testing volumes have more than doubled from early July to date,” says Keith Griffeth, HSHS Medical Group vice president of quality. Positivity rates for COVID-19 tests administered by HSHS Medical Group have jumped from 2% to 12%.

CONTACT: Johanna Moll
217.492.9158
johanna.moll@hshs.org

“We are ready to meet the needs of our communities, whether that’s through testing, vaccination or answering questions and concerns individuals may have about the vaccine,” says Griffeth.

Where can I get a vaccine?

HSHS Medical Group offers COVID-19 vaccines to community members who are 12 years and older. A parent or guardian must accompany those age 12-17 when they receive the vaccine, and Pfizer is the only type of COVID-19 vaccine available to those in that 12-17 age range.

HSHS Medical Group offers COVID-19 vaccines and testing to their patients at drive-thru locations and some primary care clinics.

Details are listed below on how to make an appointment by phone, online or by just showing up. Please note that appointments are preferred to ensure adequate vaccine supply and can be made for children as well as adults at all of our vaccination sites.

Drive-Thru Care in Springfield

  • Located in SCHEELS’ parking lot at 1118 Legacy Pointe Dr., Springfield, IL
  • Testing appointments available Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. (appointment through MyChart required)
  • Vaccine appointments available Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 1 – 4 p.m.
  • Vaccine walk-ins welcome Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 2 – 4 p.m.

Drive-Thru Care in Decatur

  • Located at 5285 E. Maryland St., Suite A, Decatur, IL 62521
  • Testing appointments available Tuesday & Thursday from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. (appointment through MyChart required)
  • Vaccine appointments available Tuesday & Thursday from 1 – 4 p.m.
  • Vaccine walk-ins welcome Tuesday & Thursday from 2 – 4 p.m.

Drive-Thru Care in O’Fallon

  • 406 Hartman Ln., O’Fallon, IL 62269
  • Testing appointments available Tuesday & Thursday from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. (appointment through MyChart required)
  • Vaccine appointments available Tuesday & Thursday from 1 – 4 p.m.
  • Vaccine walk-ins welcome Tuesday & Thursday from 2 – 4 p.m.

We encourage anyone interested in getting the vaccine to schedule an appointment by calling 1-844-216-4707 or online using our patient portal called MyChart.

It is free and easy to create an HSHS MyChart account:

  • Go to www.hshsmyhealthrecord.com
  • Login or Create a MyChart account by clicking “Sign Up Now.”
  • Under Quick Links, click “COVID-19 Vaccine Link.”
  • Click “COVID-19 Vaccination” and answer questions on eligibility to schedule a FIRST DOSE vaccine appointment.

If appointments are full, please check back as additional days and times will be added based available vaccine supplies and clinic days.

To find an HSHS vaccine clinic near you, visit www.HSHS.org/vaccine.

About HSHS Medical Group

HSHS Medical Group is the physician organization of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). Launched in 2009, HSHS Medical Group is a critical component of the HSHS Care Integration strategy, which focuses on bringing physicians, technology and patients together to improve the overall health of our communities. Today, HSHS Medical Group is comprised of over 1,300 colleagues in locations throughout central and southern Illinois. HSHS Medical Group is powered by the Franciscan history of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, and our faith-based identity led us to the single most important tenet of the HSHS Medical Group philosophy — patient-first care. For more information about HSHS Medical Group, visit HSHSMedicalGroup.org.

About Hospital Sisters Health System

Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high-quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 15 local hospitals and physician group locations in Illinois and Wisconsin. There are nine HSHS hospitals in Illinois, located in Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield, in addition to HSHS Medical Group and Prairie Cardiovascular physician practices throughout central and southern Illinois. HSHS Wisconsin has six hospitals located in Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan and two in Green Bay. HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.