How is Coronavirus & Public Charge
Impacting YOUR Community? 

Dear Allies,

In this week’s newsletter, we are writing to ask for your help to track the combined impact of the Public Charge Rule and COVID-19 in our communities, sharing exciting news to expand health coverage in Illinois, and lifting up a public charge media clip that aired over the weekend.  

Below are links to four surveys that will help us document the combined impact of the Public Charge Rule and COVID-19 in our communities. Your participation will help us understand the experiences of those who work directly with immigrant communities and/or are directly impacted themselves. The research may be used in future advocacy materials (e.g., presentations and fact sheets), as well as other purposes. If you include identifying information of any sort, we will follow up to ask for consent before sharing in any public manner. Otherwise, you or your organization will not be personally identified in any reports or publications from this survey. Please share these surveys broadly with your networks. The deadline to complete the surveys is June 15. If you have any questions, please contact Isobel Mohyeddin ([email protected]).

• Questionnaire for Health Care Providers and Health Care Organizations

• Questionnaire for Agencies/Organizations That Provide Nutrition Assistance

• Questionnaire for Impacted Individuals

• Questionnaire For Immigration Service Providers

Late Friday night, the Illinois General Assembly passed a FY 2021 budget that funds comprehensive health coverage for immigrant seniors made especially vulnerable by the COVID-19 crisis--an effort organized by the Healthy Illinois Campaign, a coalition of over 70 organizations across diverse sectors committed to removing barriers to quality health care for all Illinoisians. In doing so, Illinois leads the nation by becoming the first state to provide Medicaid-like coverage to undocumented seniors, and takes a critical first step towards expanding health care coverage to all uninsured undocumented Illinoisans. You can read the full press release here. Congratulations to the amazing advocates in Illinois that made this possible!

Over the weekend, CBS NewsHour aired a powerful segment on public charge and COVID-19. The video and full transcript is available here and features excellent contributions from PIF partners CBPP and CASA de Maryland.

Thank you for your continued partnership!

Madison Allen (CLASP)
Connie Choi & Jenny Rejeske (NILC)

Visit us at https://protectingimmigrantfamilies.org/