Rock Island County, Illinois is part of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area. Located along the banks of the Mississippi River, the Quad Cities consist of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, and Moline, East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois. The county of 146,670 residents, according to the latest US Census Bureau figures, is situated along the Mississippi River on the Illinois/Iowa border between Chicago and Des Moines.
Rock Island County was established in 1831 and named for Rock Island, an island in the Mississippi River now known as Arsenal Island. The Rock Island Arsenal, located on Arsenal Island, encompasses 946 acres and is the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the United States. Arsenal Island is also home to the Rock Island Arsenal Museum and the Rock Island National Cemetery.
The City of Rock Island serves as the county seat for Rock Island County, Illinois. Two surrounding rivers, the Mississippi River and the Rock River, support many recreation activities in the area and provide scenic views for Rock Island City residents.
Rock Island County, Illinois is approximately 165 miles west of Chicago and midway between Minneapolis and St. Louis. Numerous trucking and distribution companies are located in Rock Island County due to its easy access to other major midwestern towns.
Interstate 74, Interstate 80, Interstate 88, Interstate 280, several major state highways, and the Quad City International Airport in Moline serve Rock Island County, IL. Statistics from the Illinois Department of Transportation show 3,088 vehicle crashes in Rock Island County in 2009, with 4 fatalities. Fortunately, only 125 of these crashes were ‘Injury Classification A’ crashes, a designation used when any injury, other than a fatal injury, occurs which prevents the injured person from walking, driving, or any other activity which they were capable of performing before the injury occurred. These injuries may include severe lacerations, broken bones, head injuries, chest injuries, and abdominal injuries.
The Trinity Iowa Health System operates the Trinity Rock Island Hospital in the City of Rock Island. The 338-bed facility features a Level II Trauma Center for emergency care, general medical and surgical care, rehabilitation services, and comprehensive mental health and substance abuse services.
The Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois lists approximately 1,200 long-term care facilities, commonly called nursing homes. The CMS Nursing Home Database provides information about the performance of every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home in Illinois. This information may be used by Rock Island County, Illinois residents to determine whether a nursing home provides adequate care and treatment, or whether the facility has the potential for nursing home negligence, or, in the worst-case scenario, elder abuse. For example, there are 10 nursing homes in Rock Island County ranging from one star (much below average) to five stars (much above average).
In Illinois, residents utilize a unified, three-tiered judiciary consisting of the Circuit Court, Appellate Court, and Supreme Court. The Circuit Court is a court of general jurisdiction with original jurisdiction in all civil matters such as medical malpractice, nursing home neglect cases, and personal injury cases, and in all criminal matters. The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit serves Rock Island County, and the Rock Island County Courthouse is located at 1504 Third Avenue, Rock Island, IL 61201.
