In an effort to increase the number of medical personnel available to handle increased patient loads at Illinois hospitals, a call has been issued to former doctors, nurses, physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, and respiratory care therapists who have recently left the medical field to join the fight against COVID-19.

Licensure fees will be waived so that these vital personnel may immediately re-join the state’s healthcare workforce. Starting Monday, health care license reinstatement forms will be available on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s website. These applications will be expedited, and the state will coordinate with hospitals and other healthcare sites in Illinois to put medical professionals where they are needed.

Additionally, the state will be automatically extending licenses through the end of September for medical professionals who have licenses expiring soon. The state is also acting to make it easier for those in border communities, like the Quad Cities, who may live here but practice in other states, to practice medicine within Illinois’ borders.