April 29, 2020
Late this afternoon, IHA, the American Nurses Association-Illinois, the Illinois Society forAdvanced Practice Nursing, and the Illinois State Medical Society submitted an amicus brief in the legal case challenging Governor Pritzker’s stay-at-home executive order. The organizations are speaking out against the Clay County Circuit Court’s April 27 temporary restraining order, which prevents the administration from enforcing the extended stay-at-home order against the plaintiff who filed the lawsuit. While this ruling may only apply to one individual, it opens the door to similar lawsuits from others. The amicus brief was submitted to the Fifth District Appellate Court in Mt. Vernon.
“The Governor’s executive order and critical actions taken by the state under the guidance of IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike have helped ‘flatten the curve’, substantially mitigating the spread of the coronavirus and preventing many deaths,” said IHA President and CEO A.J. Wilhelmi. “Undoing the order will only increase the stress on already burdened hospitals and health systems and dedicated healthcare professionals, jeopardizing the availability of life-saving care to Illinoisans.”
The four organizations strongly believe that the public health measures taken by the Governor’s executive order are needed to save lives by slowing the spread of COVID-19. Blocking the measures, which are based on the guidance and recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, would have a devastating impact on our most vulnerable populations, not to mention the continuation of consistent exposure of patients and healthcare professionals to the coronavirus.
See a joint press release from the four organizations.