The Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC), Illinois Department  of Public Health (IDPH) and Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) released a  new public service announcement to raise awareness about Illinois Helps, a statewide database  that registers volunteers to respond to major disasters or public health emergencies in the state.MCHC, IDPH and CDPH are encouraging both medical and non-medical volunteers to register  with Illinois Helps. More than 3,700 Illinoisans are already registered with the system and may  be called upon to respond to any number of emergency situations including blizzards, disease  outbreaks like H1N1 and bioterrorism attacks.Illinois Helps also allows hospitals to verify the licenses and credentials of professional health care volunteers who come to their facilities to care for the influx of patients experienced during emergencies.