SPRINGFIELD –State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) championed an initiative to bring additional training requirements on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias for emergency medical service providers that became law Friday.

“Attending to patients with dementia requires heightened analysis of the current state of the individual and careful consideration for appropriate care,” Villanueva said. “An impaired ability to recall information, make decisions and think critically is common among the many types of dementias, making it imperative that our medical services personnel are well-equipped to approach and handle these situations.”

This spring session with the help of the Alzheimer’s Association Illinois Chapter, Senator Villanueva introduced House Bill 4388, which sets training guidelines for emergency medical services personnel to help them better serve patients with dementia. The new law requires training on the assessment, diagnosis and care of dementia after each renewal of one’s EMS license. This training will also include dementia-effective communication strategies for the betterment of interactions between EMS personnel and people with dementia.

“For our medical services workers, responding to emergency situations doesn’t always mean performing life-saving measures and transporting injured people to proper medical facilities,” Villanueva said. “Sometimes their service takes the form of caregiving to remove the dangers a person’s condition poses to them in the moment, which takes quality training on the evaluation of a variety of diseases and conditions.”

The law takes effect immediately.

SPRINGFIELD –State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) supported a new law signed by the governor Friday that will simplify the grocery store experience for families in all reaches of the state.

“We all look for sales in our stores to make sure we’re getting the best product for the best price,” Villanueva said. “Now with proper notice of the sales retail stores have, Illinois residents will get more out of their shopping experience.”

The new law standardizes the display and advertisement of grocery item discounts by requiring stores to clearly show the original and discounted prices of goods while also showing the amount saved at purchase. The law also ensures that customers are notified of available sales by requiring stores to disclose existing discounts through a variety of channels seen by the consumer.

“By clearly displaying the original and discounted prices of store goods, we move away from a culture of deceptive business practices that bank on the customer not reading fine print or thoroughly checking the actual price,” Villanueva said. “Financial insecurity thrives on these forms of deceptive marketing, and clarifying the markings on purchase tags will no doubt help people before they get to the register by allowing them to calculate exactly what they’re getting for how much they’re spending.”

This law takes effect immediately, meaning grocery trips will now be more cost effective for Illinois families thanks to this Villanueva-supported initiative.

CHICAGO – State Senator Celina Villanueva is encouraging local homeowners to take advantage of assistance offered by the Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund.

“This is a resource that will keep our community members in their homes by helping them avoid debt and even foreclosure in extreme cases,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “I encourage all eligible homeowners to apply for this opportunity and receive the support they need.”

The ILHAF program is providing free assistance of up to $30,000 to homeowners who have outstanding housing payments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This relief is meant to cover the costs of past-due mortgage payments, property taxes, property insurance and other late expenses. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31.

The Illinois Housing Development Authority, which is responsible for facilitating the program, offers assistance with rent, utility and legal aid. These services can be found at www.illinoishousinghelp.org or by calling 866-454-3571.

“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed many inequities in our health and economic systems,” Villanueva said. “Programs like this are especially important because they prioritize communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the effects of the pandemic, which most often are comprised of individuals of color.”

These and other resources on the Illinois Housing Development Authority website are available in both English and Spanish.

SPRINGFIELD – La Senadora Estatal Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) dio a conocer la siguiente declaración en respuesta a la opinión filtrada de la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos para derogar la jurisprudencia icónica Roe v. Wade (1973):

“Hoy, hierbo de ira por la opinión filtrada de la mayoría, y temo por la seguridad de las mujeres y por nuestro futuro. Esta decisión es un ataque directo a los derechos de las mujeres, mismos que han estado bajo asalto durante la mayor parte de la historia de nuestra nación. El derecho a que una mujer decida es fundamental, por lo que remover las protecciones establecidas por el fallo de 1973 es crear una carga peligrosa e indebida para una de nuestras poblaciones más vulnerables. El retirar este precedente no detendrá a la gente de practicarse un aborto, pero lo hará mucho más arriesgado para quienes hagan uso de la inalienable autonomía sobre sus cuerpos para decidir las acciones que más les convienen.”

“Reciento y rechazo la noción de que forzar un nacimiento no representa una violación a los derechos de una persona bajo la Constitución de los Estados Unidos. Esta decisión no debe determinar la trayectoria de nuestra nación y de los estados en los próximos años. Elegir abandonar esta protección federal sobre la capacidad de una mujer para terminar su embarazo nos llevará por una ruta peligrosa en la que poco a poco nuestro acceso a un ambiente seguro es retirado hasta que lleguemos a un punto en donde haya solo inequidad. Estoy furiosa ante el uso de poder de parte de oficiales electos o designados apartados de las vidas y los intereses de la gente que dicen representar. Ellos no se detendrán hasta que tengan un control total sobre la mujer y sobre otras comunidades marginadas, lo cual es una aberración, es espantoso y degenerado.

“Mientras que Illinois seguirá siendo una luz de esperanza para quienes busquen refugio de estas horrendas prácticas, las implicaciones de esta opinión filtrada demuestran que debemos actuar ahora. Esta ruptura en la confianza en nuestras leyes es un gran retroceso que nos lleva a un lugar en el que no queremos estar, destruyendo el trabajo de muchos que sacrificaron sus vidas para edificar equidad en nuestro sistema de gobierno. Hoy es indudablemente un día terrible.”