SPRINGFIELD, IL – In a move that underscores a growing divide on public health policy, Illinois is investing $1.5 million to establish its own elite pathogen treatment centers, just one day after the Trump administration replaced the entire federal advisory board for disease control.
Governor JB Pritzker announced Tuesday that the state is partnering with Rush University Medical Center and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago to enhance local readiness for highly infectious diseases. The announcement follows a major overhaul at the federal level, where the administration took action to reshape the nation’s public health guidance.
According to a release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. removed all 17 sitting members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Monday. The committee provides vaccine recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Kennedy stated the move was necessary “to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science” as directed by President Trump’s executive order on “Restoring Gold Standard Science.”
Governor Pritzker framed the Illinois investment as a necessary step to ensure state-level preparedness amid federal changes. “Here in Illinois, we’re working to ensure our state is prepared to protect the health and safety of working families, even as the Trump administration decimates our national healthcare infrastructure,” Pritzker said. “With this investment, we’re advancing treatment capabilities in two of our State’s premier hospitals.”
The state funding will help Rush and Lurie Children’s upgrade airborne infection isolation rooms, invest in specialized equipment, and enhance staff training. This initiative is especially critical as Illinois currently has no federally designated Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers.
Officials from both hospitals praised the state’s investment. “We are grateful for this vote of confidence from the state of Illinois,” said Dr. Brian Stein, Chief Quality Officer for the Rush University System for Health.
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