Mason Supports Additional Funding for Public Health and COVID-19 Testing

GURNEE, Ill. – State Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, is applauding the legislature’s decision to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding to state and local health departments to expand coronavirus prevention efforts.

“Thanks to the hard work of our residents, local officials and state leaders, we’ve been able to get the COVID-19 outbreak in Illinois mostly under control—but it’s critical to remember this crisis is not over,” Mason said. “We still don’t know how this pandemic will play out in the long term, and we must be prepared in case we experience a second wave of infections down the road.”

Mason voted to pass a budget that dedicates $416 million in additional funding to make COVID-19 tests more widely available. The $416 million is part of a total of $719 million in new funding that was appropriated to public health in the budget. In Illinois, the coronavirus pandemic has caused over 6,000 deaths and infected more than 129,000 residents. In Lake County, where Mason’s district is located, 356 residents have died from the disease and nearly 9,000 have tested positive.

“I’m grateful my fellow lawmakers joined me in approving this desperately needed funding,” Mason said. “Responding to this outbreak has been and will continue to be an uphill battle, but this funding greatly improves our state’s ability to fight back and save lives.”