Update on COVID-19: Message from Village President, Catherine Adduci Explaining Case Reporting

March, 27, 2020

March 27, 2020

A Special E-News Message from the Village President, Catherine Adduci

COVID-19 UPDATE

Dear River Forest Residents,

During these unprecedented times the Village of River Forest provides the community with the best information about COVID-19 available to it. There may be concerns and confusion about the release of information about people living in River Forest who tested positive with COVID-19. I understand your frustration.

While the Village would like to provide the community with this type of information, health privacy laws and health confidentiality agreements prohibit the Village from doing so. Public health in River Forest is under the jurisdiction of the Cook County Department of Public Health (“CCDPH”). CCDPH reports aggregate information about COVID-19 cases in suburban Cook County but is not providing detailed information on a municipality-by-municipality basis. So, as people are diagnosed with COVID-19 in River Forest, the Village is unable to confirm or verify those diagnoses. When that changes, we will share that information with you.

Detailed information about COVID-19 cases that we do receive from CCDPH, the Illinois Department of Public Health and other sources can only be provided to our police officers and firefighters/emergency medical personnel. That information is provided confidentially to protect the Village’s first responders and the health and safety of the affected resident.

River Forest differs from Oak Park, because Oak Park is able to report the results of COVID-19 diagnoses for only Oak Park residents. The Village of Oak Park has access to more information about COVID-19 diagnoses than River Forest because Oak Park has its own certified local public health department. There are 135 municipalities in Cook County, and only 5 have their own certified local public health departments. River Forest is one of the 130 Cook County municipalities that rely on the CCDPH.

River Forest has taken, and will continue to take, extraordinary efforts to obtain as much information as it can about COVID-19 cases in the Village in order to keep our residents safe and healthy.

Thank you,