Sunny Hill reports unexplained respiratory uptick among residents; facility, county and state reviewing cases

Sunny Hill leadership told the Will County Public Health and Safety Committee that the long‑term care facility has observed an increase in upper respiratory illness among residents this late summer, with some cases deteriorating rapidly and requiring hospital transfer.

Maggie McDowell, representing Sunny Hill, said residents have presented primarily with cough and sore throat; staff have sent respiratory panels to laboratories and worked with Will County Health Department, the facility medical director and infectious‑disease specialists but have not been able to identify a single causative agent. “We have tested our residents for everything... we do an extensive respiratory profile,” McDowell said, and added, “Right now, we don't [identify] what it is.”

McDowell said some residents progressed quickly to pneumonia and needed hospital care; she reported no deaths publicly attributed to the cluster while the committee was in session. The facility has heightened surveillance and infection‑control measures and is coordinating with state Illinois Department of Public Health staff. McDowell said the pattern — rapid change in clinical status among vulnerable residents — is unusual, which is why county and state partners are involved.

Committee members asked whether cases had been identified as influenza, COVID‑19 or parainfluenza; McDowell said a small number of parainfluenza cases had occurred earlier but the current pattern has not been explained by standard tests and that antibiotics have, in some cases, led to clinical improvement. She asked the county to continue working with the facility while the cause and scope are clarified.

The committee did not take action beyond asking the facility and health department to continue regular reporting on testing results and hospital transfers.