217 Today: Most veterinarians are women, but they still face sexism in rural areas where they’re most needed

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Dr. Bailey Lammers (left) and vet tech Sadie Kalin in a photo from 2019. That year Lammers opened Gavins Point Veterinary Services PC in Crofton, Nebraska, and had her first child. “It’s a lot more challenging, I think, for the mom, especially with newborns and everything to be away and have to go on calls in the middle of the night to, you know, pull a calf or those kinds of things," she said.
  • Photo: Christina Stella / Nebraska Public Media

Monday, February 26, 2024 

Today’s headlines: 

  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is proposing a new plan to fully fund the state’s pension systems.
  • A new report has found that 73% of Illinois’ rural hospitals no longer provide obstetric care.
  • Children and families from Champaign-Urbana gathered at the playground at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana on Saturday because it was their last chance to play on the wooden structure. 
  • The Fighting Illini women’s basketball team lost on the road yesterday to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about the need for women to step into large-animal practices in rural areas despite the many challenges.

Reporting today contributed by Alex Degman, Natalie Krebs, Elissa Eaton, Colin Hislope and Lilley Halloran.

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Farrah Anderson

Farrah Anderson is a 2024 graduate of the University of Illinois. At Illinois Public Media, Anderson works as a general assignment reporter focusing on police and investigative stories.