JACKSON COUNTY, IL (KFVS) - The U.S. Small Business Administration is encouraging anyone in Southern Illinois who has not filled out a disaster loan application to do so before the August 8 deadline.

More than $2.3 million in disaster assistance loans have been approved for Illinois residents affected by the severe storms and flooding that occurred from April 19 through June 14.

According to the SBA, there are currently 37 home and business low-interest disaster loans that have been approved. These loans equal about $2,303,600.

“There is a tendency for survivors to discard SBA disaster loan applications because they may not want a loan.  However, homeowners and renters may risk missing out on grants by not returning completed applications to SBA,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.  Those who received SBA applications are encouraged to return them even if they do not want a loan.

JACKSON COUNTY, IL (KFVS) - The Illinois Department of Human Services announced Friday they have finished processing applications for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for Southern Illinois flood victims.

The department distributed $970,451 in federally-funded Disaster SNAP benefits to 3,314 households with 7,775 residents in 15 counties affected by the flooding.

“The unprecedented flooding in southern Illinois had a devastating effect for many families and businesses,” said IDHS Secretary Michelle R.B.

JACKSON COUNTY, IL (KFVS) - The Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Damon T. Arnold announced Thursday hospitals in Illinois have reported fewer health care-associated infections in 2010 compared to 2009.

The IDPH analyzed central line-associated bloodstream infection data as part of the Illinois Hospital Report Card, and found more than 75 percent of Illinois hospitals had the same number or fewer infection cases in 2010 than in 2009.

They say in 2009, 383 bloodstream infections were reported in adult intensive care units in Illinois and 282 were reported in 2010.

“Although results are only for two years, they indicate a significant step forward in the prevention of infection and protection of Illinois patients,” said Dr. Arnold. “Hospital surveillance of infections and public reporting on the Illinois Hospital Report Card Web site play key roles in prevention efforts.