Around The Town

LLCC hosting Campus Visit Day June 7, information on college and career training:
Prospective students interested in starting or restarting college or training for a new career are invited to visit Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) for Campus Visit Day on Tuesday, June 7. The free event will be held at the LLCC Springfield campus, 5250 Shepherd Rd., from 10 a.m.-noon. Exhibits open at 9:30 a.m.

“Whether you are in high school, wanting to start a new career or looking to start over on a college degree, we welcome you to join us for Campus Visit Day. The event will feature interactive sessions where you can explore classes and majors, and we’ll introduce you to our personalized services that help students experience college success,” says LLCC President Charlotte Warren, Ph.D.

The event provides information on how to enroll and pay for college. Visitors are invited to view exhibits and speak with LLCC representatives, tour select areas of campus and apply for admission. Refreshments will feature baked goods from LLCC Culinary Arts.

Registration for Campus Visit Day is available at www.llcc.edu/campus-visit-day or by calling 217-786-2577.


Memorial Health to open Urgent Care Clinic in Jacksonville:
A new urgent care clinic in Jacksonville will feature an on-site lab and medical imaging services.

Memorial Care is expected to open its doors to patients in February 2023. The clinic, which is in the early stages of construction, will be located within the Lincoln Square Shopping Center at 901 W. Morton Ave.

An artist’s rendering of Memorial Care’s urgent care clinic on West Morton Avenue in Jacksonville. The clinic is expected to open in February 2023.

Memorial Care will offer safe, convenient care for patients with minor injuries and illnesses, such as common respiratory symptoms (including COVID-19), ear pain, skin rashes and infections, minor breaks and sprains, minor cuts and burns, and urinary symptoms.

With no appointment needed, patients have quick access to care. Patients may take advantage of walk-in clinic services or “get in line” before arrival at Memorial Care by using the On My Way feature available through the Memorial Health app.

Patients may also use the app to schedule a two-way telehealth video visit for access to a care provider from the comfort of home.

“We are continually looking for ways to improve access to health care in the communities we serve,” said Travis Dowell, president and CEO of Memorial Medical Group. “Our urgent care clinics deliver high-quality care close to where people live and work. Our clinics also serve an important purpose — patients can use our Memorial Care clinics to receive fast, high-quality care for minor illnesses or injuries and avoid a trip to the local emergency department, where the wait times are often longer for non-emergent patients.”

The Jacksonville clinic will be Memorial Health’s seventh urgent care location in central Illinois.

Memorial Care sites are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days per week. All patients and visitors are required to wear medical-grade masks upon entry.


Hospital opens Link card access to shoppers at Farmers Market:
A program sponsored by Jacksonville Memorial Hospital will allow shoppers to use a Link card to purchase food at the Jacksonville Farmers Market.

Erika Procarione, a community health worker with Healthy Jacksonville, is part of a team of people representing Jacksonville Memorial Hospital who are involved in a local effort to make it easier for families in need to access the fresh foods available at the Jacksonville Farmers Market. (Photo: Bre Linstromberg Copper / Memorial Health)

“We’re providing access to healthy food to our community’s most vulnerable population,” said Lori Hartz, director of community health at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital. “In 2021, the Community Health Needs Assessment identified obesity as a top health concern in Morgan County, as it is a root cause of chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. One of the ways we are addressing obesity in Morgan County is by expanding access to the healthy foods available at our local farmers market.”

Shoppers using a Link card receive tokens to spend at the farmers market. Farmers and vendors are reimbursed for food purchased through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. (Photo: Bre Linstromberg Copper / Memorial Health)

Jacksonville Memorial Foundation trustees voted in February to provide a grant to support access to fresh food for families enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, which supplements the food budgets of families in need. The grant provides for staff to manage the booth where Link tokens are available. The United States Department of Agriculture covers the cost of equipment and software for tracking reimbursement to farmers.

In addition, the hospital received a Link Up Illinois grant from Chicago-based nonprofit organization Experimental Station to double the value of Link card purchases made at the farmers market. The grant is intended to provide fresh food access to underserved populations in rural communities, said Hartz.

The Jacksonville Farmers Market opened May 7 in its new location in Pathway Plaza, 1905 W. Morton Ave., Jacksonville. The market is open 7 a.m. to noon Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays through Oct. 29.


Morgan County Garden Club to hold Garden Walk Sunday, June 12:
The Morgan County Garden Club’s 2022 Garden Walk will be held on Sunday, June 12. Eight unique gardens will be open to the public from 1-5 p.m. for a ticket price of $10.

Tickets will be available on the day of the walk at any of the gardens. Jacksonville gardens on the tour are Tom and Julie Grojean, 17 Pitner Pl.; Jack Cosner, 1332 S. Clay Ave.; Troy and Suzanne DeLay, 774 S. Church St.; Blessings on State Bed & Breakfast, 1109 W. State St.; Dr. Ron and Michele Lynch, 18 Jacobs Ln.; and Diane Duewer, 106 Westwinds Dr.

A short drive to Bluffs to see Hank and Betty Gregory’s garden at 1628 State Rte. 100, Bluffs and Mark and Debbie Bicknell’s garden at 224 N. Bluffs St. will be well worth your time.

Light refreshments will be available on the Prairie Land Museum Grounds at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and W. Michigan Avenue in South Jacksonville. University of Illinois Master Gardeners will be present at each of the gardens to help answer questions. Come and view the gardens, ask questions and enjoy nature.


Emergency food and shelter funds available:
Morgan County has been awarded federal funds made available through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency under the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program.

Morgan County has been chosen to receive $6,476 through Phase 39 and $24,837 through the ARPA-R to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in the county. The selection was made by a national board that is chaired by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and consists of representatives from American Red Cross; Catholic Charities, USA; National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA; The Jewish Federations of North America; The Salvation Army; and United Way Worldwide.

The local board was charged to distribute funds appropriated by Congress to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas around the country. A local board made up of United Way representatives, local government representatives and clergy will determine how the funds awarded to Morgan County are to be distributed among the emergency food and shelter programs run by local service agencies in the area. The local board is responsible for recommending agencies to receive these funds and any additional funds made available under this phase of the program.

Under the terms of the grant from the national board, local agencies chosen to receive funds must: 1) be private voluntary nonprofits or units of government, 2) be eligible to receive federal funds, 3) have an accounting system, 4) practice nondiscrimination, 5) have demonstrated the capability to deliver emergency food and/or shelter programs, and 6) if they are a private voluntary organization, have a voluntary board. Qualifying agencies are urged to apply. Morgan County has distributed emergency food and shelter funds previously with Jacksonville Area Food Center, Prairie Council on Aging, HELPS Ministry Outreach, The Salvation Army, The Crisis Center Foundation, Community Child Care & Service Center, American Red Cross, Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen and New Directions Shelter participating.

Public or private voluntary agencies interested in applying for Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds must contact Karen Walker at Prairieland United Way, 200 West Douglas Ave., Jacksonville, IL 62650; email karen.walker@prairielandunitedway.org; or call 217-245-4557 for an application. The deadline for applications to be received is May 31, 2022.

Share This