PHOTO PROVIDED
Jill Anderson is the emergency manager at the Veterans Affairs Illiana Healthcare System, responsible for disaster response planning.
Thomas Hamblin & Jill Anderson
VA team presents united front against virus
BY MARY WICOFF
[email protected]
DANVILLE — Staff at the Veterans
Affairs Illiana Health Care System and
veterans who use its services can rest
assured they’re in good hands during
the COVID-19 pandemic.
A team — made up of Thomas
Hamblin, RN, infection control coordinator,
and Jill Anderson, emergency
manager — has activated an Incident
Command Center for managing the
day-to-day operations for COVID-
19-related activities.
“We’re responsible for reviewing,
interpreting and disseminating guidance
we received daily for COVID-19
16 OUR COMMUNITY 2020
FYI
The Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care
System includes the Danville facility and
community-based outpatient clinics in
Bloomington, Decatur, Mattoon, Peoria
and Springfield.
Out of about 95,000 eligible veterans in
30 counties, about 40,000 are enrolled at
VA Illiana.
response,” Anderson said.
Hamblin said, “During the current
pandemic, our facility has developed
various protocol to prevent the spread
of the coronavirus.”
Both have similar philosophies for
adapting in this unknown territory.
Hamblin said, “I have had the same
philosophy since my nursing school
days. That is and will continue to be:
adapt and overcome.”
As a veteran of the United States
Air Force, Anderson said, “One of our
main sayings while in the Air Force
was ‘improvise, adapt and overcome’
and that’s how we’re responding to this
pandemic.”
Here are their responses to how
they’re handling the pandemic, professionally
and personally.
THOMAS HAMBLIN
Hamblin has worked with the
VA Illiana Healthcare System for 16
months.