Bills’ Hamlin in critical condition after collapse on field
ESPN reported that Hamlin was administered CPR on the field. He was surrounded by teammates, some of them in tears, after he was hurt while tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins.
US will require COVID-19 testing for travelers from China
Beginning Jan. 5, travelers to the U.S. from China will have to take a COVID-19 test no more than two days before they travel and provide negative results before they board their flights.
OSF HealthCare using remote monitoring program honed during COVID-19 pandemic to manage RSV patients
PEORIA — Hospitals are facing a capacity crunch just in time for the holidays. That’s due to respiratory viruses, but COVID-19 isn’t the biggest driver of hospitalizations this winter. Instead, medical officials say an earlier-than-usual onset of RSV, coupled with an influenza wave, are packing emergency departments to capacity. That’s particularly true for pediatric units…
Abortion access, COVID disruptions, health inequities – Side Effects’ top stories of 2022
The third year of a global pandemic. An uncertain future for reproductive health care. Persistent health care inequities. This year, Side Effects Public Media reporters delivered high-impact, in-depth stories from across the Midwest and beyond, exploring 2022’s leading health concerns. Side Effects reporters and collaborators shed light on health care disparities, looked for solutions and…
Students say Champaign schools fail to provide menstrual products
CHAMPAIGN — Loreal Allen was not surprised when she went into a bathroom at Central High School in Champaign in late November. Everything was as expected. She found soap, paper towels and a white dispenser that was supposed to contain menstrual products. As usual, she said, it was empty. “I am at a dispenser right…
Winter months bring added struggle to people with Seasonal Affective Disorder
CHAMPAIGN — While his music may be loud and energetic, guitarist and Champaign resident Aaron Heath said he prefers complete silence when he meditates. He said meditation is a way of keeping a routine when his seasonal depression gets overwhelming. “I’m just mindful of it,” Heath said. “I know I meditate almost daily, a lot….
CVS and Walgreens agree to pay $10 billion to settle lawsuits linked to opioid sales
WASHINGTON — CVS and Walgreens have agreed to pay more than $10 billion to several states in a settlement of lawsuits brought against them alleging their roles in the opioid crisis. CVS would pay nearly $5 billion over 10 years, while Walgreens would pay $5.7 billion over 15 years, according to statements released by state…
State Senator Bennett passes away from brain tumor
URBANA – Colleagues are remembering State Senator Scott Bennett for his wit, his work on public safety, and his Central Illinois upbringing. In a statement Friday afternoon, his wife Stacy says Bennett succumbed to complications of a large brain tumor. Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup says the 45-year-old Champaign Democrat was pronounced dead Friday afternoon…
End of Roe v. Wade increases out-of-state abortion patients in Illinois
CHAMPAIGN — December 24 will mark half a year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortions. The June 24 decision to overturn Roe and the related 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, individual states could suddenly regulate abortion in their jurisdictions. Bans and restrictions spread throughout the country….
The White House unveils a new system to track and better prevent opioid overdoses
WASHINGTON — For decades, the U.S. struggled to create a national system for tracking opioid overdoses. Critics including Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) say the lack of accurate, real-time data has made it harder for health officials to respond as black market pain pills, heroin and illicit fentanyl flooded communities. Listen to this story here. “It…
Several central Illinois counties are at an elevated level for COVID-19
Health officials remain concerned that too few are getting the new COVID booster shots. The shots have been available since September. In Illinois, just over 16% of the eligible population have received the booster dose. Compare that to 70% who have completed their primary series of vaccines. The concern comes as the holiday season is…
Flu cases, hospitalizations are on the rise
It’s turning out to be a bad flu season. Memorial Health reports it is seeing a dramatic increase at its five area hospitals, following national trends. “This year’s strains of influenza are proving to be highly contagious,” said Raj Govindaiah, MD, Memorial Health senior vice president and chief physician executive. “We don’t like to see…
Economy | Environment | Health
Tax credits, prison reform pass in veto session
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers last week passed significant legislation dealing with electric vehicle manufacturing incentives and the availability of hygiene products for prisoners in the state’s correctional system. But some weightier issues, including a possible assault weapons ban, will wait until a lame duck session scheduled for early January. Last week, lawmakers wrapped up a…
States will get billions in opioid settlement dollars. How will they spend it?
Legal battles have waged for years to force drug companies to pay for their role in America’s opioid epidemic. Finally, in landmark settlements over the last year, thousands of states, counties and local governments have won more than $50 billion from opioid makers, prescription drug distributors and pharmacies. But now these 3,000 state and local…
In post-Roe America, pilots take the abortion battle to the skies
CHICAGO — From 1,800 feet in the air, the view from a tiny, four-seater plane reduces the Chicago suburbs to a vast landscape of miniature patterns. Above us, flocks of geese fly in v-shape formations beneath sheets of white clouds. Sitting behind a small wheel, the pilot removes his jacket, places his glasses on his…