Happy New Year. I hope all of you had a great holiday season with your family and friends. As a result of the November elections, January 2019 ushers in a new Congress in Washington and a new General Assembly in Springfield. In both cases there are new legislators who have not yet had an opportunity to tour Misericordia and learn about all of our great programs and the world-class care Misericordia provides our loved ones. While these new members of Congress and the General Assembly may have heard of Misericordia and may be aware of its sterling reputation, nothing drives home the point like a tour. I have seen this first hand with my own eyes. Over the past few years, I have participated in numerous tours with state and federal legislators and administrators. All of them come to Misericordia well aware of Misericordia’s reputation for excellent care. However, by the end of the tour, each person, without exception, is amazed at what they have seen. They see firsthand the beautiful campus and the innovative programs. But, more important, they see the loving care that our staff provides each and every resident. By the end of the tour, we have a new ally; someone we can call on when there is new legislation or policy guidance that we want them to either support or oppose. When we call on them, they will remember their tour and they will understand the position we are taking and asking them to support. There is nothing that can take the place of a tour.
Therefore, if you live in the district of any of our new members of Congress or the General Assembly, please contact your legislator and ask them to take a tour. I have listed below, the new federal and state legislators and their districts. Please do not feel intimidated by the thought of contacting these public officials. Remember that you elected them and they need your vote to continue in office. They are public servants; they work for you. You are their boss. More important, they enjoy talking to their constituents and they are happy to hear about what is important to you. You should feel free to call or e mail them. You can also watch for and attend their town hall meetings which provide an opportunity to address them in person. I am more than happy to help you reach out to your congressman or state representative or senator.
Here are the new members of Congress from Illinois and their districts:
Jesus Garcia – 4th District covering large portions of Chicago and the western suburbs
Sean Casten – 6th District covering portions of the south, western, and northern suburbs including Downers Grove, Naperville, Wheaton, Carol Stream, Algonquin, Palatine, Lake Zurich
Lauren Underwood – 14th District covering far southwest, west and northwest suburbs including Sandwich, Little Rock, Batavia, Harvard, McHenry, Antioch
Here are the new state representatives in Springfield and their districts:
Chicago Area
Aaron Ortiz – 1st Dist
Curtis Tarver – 25th Dist
Debbie Meyers-Martin – 38th Dist
Amy Grant - 42nd Dist
Diane Pappas - 45th Dist
Terra Costa Howard - 48th Dist
Karina Villa - 49th Dist
Mary Edly-Allen - 51st Dist
Mark Walker - 53rd Dist
Bob Morgan - 58th Dist
Daniel Didech - 59th Dist
Joyce Mason - 61st Dist
Tom Weber - 64th Dist
Dan Ugaste - 65th Dist
Anne Stava-Murray - 81st Dist
Downstate
Lance Yednock - 76th Dist
Andrew Chesney - 89th Dist
Mike Murphy - 99th Dist
Dan Caulkins - 101st Dist
Blaine Wilhour - 107th Dist
Darren Bailey - 109th Dist
Chris Miller - 110th Dist
Patrick Windhorst - 118th Dist
Here are the new state senators in Springfield and their districts:
Chicago Area
Omar Aquino - 2nd Dist
Donald DeWitte - 33rd Dist
Lauren Ellman - 21st Dist
Anne Gillespie - 27th Dist
Suzy Glowiak - 24th Dist
Dan McConchie - 26th Dist
Ram Villiralam - 8th Dist
Crain Wilcox - 32nd Dist
Downstate
Neil Anderson - 36th Dist
Christopher Belt - 57th Dist
Cristina Castro - 22nd Dist
Rochelle Crowe - 56th Dist
John Curran - 41st Dist
Dale Fowler - 59th Dist
Steve McClure - 50th Dist
Laura Murphy - 28th Dist
Robert Peters - 13th Dist
Jason Plummer - 54th Dist
Paul Schimpf - 58th Dist
Brian Stewart - 45th Dist
Jil Tracy - 47th Dist
If you live in the above districts or you know any of these new legislators, please ask them to accompany you on a tour of Misericordia. If you want help making the contact, please reach out to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Thanks, Scott