A recent $57,500 grant from the governor’s office will help Kishwaukee Community Hospital scrub out bioterrorism concerns.

In February, Gov. Rod Blagojevich awarded $14.3 million to hospitals across the state. The majority of the funds will be distributed by the Illinois Department of Public Health to hospitals that are developing plans to aid victims of bioterrorism.

Kishwaukee Community Hospital will use its cut to build a portable showering system to clean victims of a bioterrorism attack, said Sharon Emanuelson, the hospital’s spokeswoman. The hospital will build the system in-house, using equipment purchased from local stores.

The proposed facility will be able to handle the mass decontamination of 45 patients in the event of a bioterrorist attack, Emanuelson said. The project is set to begin in the spring, but Emanuelson said she does not know when it will be completed.

In addition to the shower system, a cargo trailer will be purchased for storage of the portable shower units, Emanuelson said.

Hospitals around the state are using the money to aid victims of terrorist attacks, Blagojevich said. Twelve hospitals in the state, the hospitals that smaller hospitals report to, each received $522,000.

“Since Sept. 11, hospitals have been more alert and are more concerned about communication between agencies,” Emanuelson said.

Last year, Kishwaukee Hospital received $12,000 to improve and increase the isolation capabilities in the hospital, Emanuelson said. The improvements helped ventilate the rooms and also to change the ventilation system to prevent viruses from traveling.

Valley West Community Hospital in Sandwich, Kishwaukee’s sister hospital, received $16,700 for similar bioterrorism measures, Emanuelson said.