Senators blast health and law enforcement officials over illegal e-cigarettes used by teens
Senator Dick Durbin singled out the FDA for not taking action against a vape shop selling illegal products less than a mile from its headquarters.
Illinois Planned Parenthood clinics see uptick in Southerners seeking abortions since overturning of Roe
Illinois has become a haven for abortion care, with nearly a quarter of Planned Parenthood patients coming from 41 states over the last two years, up from 3% to 5% of patients prior to the 2022 Dobbs decision.
The push for embryo rights worries IVF patients and doctors in the Midwest
Thirteen states across the U.S., including much of the Midwest, introduced bills this year that could give some rights to embryos and fetuses usually associated with people. None passed but people in the fertility world are concerned that lawmakers will try again and what that means for reproductive rights.
Maternal health, abortion protection measures advance as session nears end
In the final days of their spring legislative session, Democrats in the General Assembly advanced measures aimed at expanding and protecting aspects of maternal and women’s health care. If signed into law, the measures would expand insurance coverage of pregnancy and postpartum services, maintain abortion as a viable treatment option for women experiencing certain emergencies,…
The Checkup: ‘Junk patents’ by big pharma lead to soaring drugs prices, FTC says
The Federal Trade Commission says drug makers are gaming the system in order to keep drug prices high by filing what it describes as “junk patents”.
Pritzker pledges to expand access to mental health care in Illinois
Service providers, state agency officials joined governor for Springfield panel.
Is private equity ruining health care? It’s complicated
While stories of private equity firms running amok in health care are easy to find, new research paints a more nuanced picture.
Illinois Supreme Court considers expectation of privacy in hospitals
Police burden of proof in concealed carry violations also on the table.
Public officials seek greater oversight of prescription drug middlemen
Two state departments say they are open to further regulating industry.
Curbs can be a physical and social barrier for wheelchair users. One program teaches kids to roll past them
Wheelchairs may seem straightforward to use, until you need to move up and down hills or stairs. Around 3.7 million people use a wheelchair in the United States. They push themselves an average of 2,000 to 3,000 times a day, but some don’t have access to formal skills training that helps them smoothly navigate the…
State Senate advances bill to ban food additives linked to health problems
Ban would take effect for manufacturers in 2027, retailers in 2028.
Citing the mental health crisis, some hope to see Illinois legalize psilocybin
After graduating from high school, Justin Wigg said he craved adventure, which led him to serve in the Marine Corps for five years during the Iraq war. His adjustment to his life back in the United States, he said, was not easy. He was deployed to Iraq twice, and when he returned home, his friends…
UIUC will not provide on-campus access to abortion pills, despite overwhelming student support
The director of the McKinley Student Health Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said the campus is not planning to provide on-campus access to abortion medications, despite overwhelming support from students. Nearly three-quarters of the 6,354 students who participated in the Illinois Student Council election this February voted “Yes” when asked if they…
OJ Simpson, fallen football hero acquitted of murder in ‘trial of the century,’ dies at 76
The decorated football star who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but wound up in prison years later in an unrelated case died in Las Vegas on Wednesday night, his attorney confirmed to TMZ.
Seniors who are hospitalized are at risk of a dangerous downward spiral. Some programs are trying to
On a recent morning, Celita Flowers, 68, sat on her red leather couch in the Waterloo, Iowa home she’s shared with her husband for the past 35 years. Her black toy poodle, Preston, nestled closely to her side. Flowers has eye and knee issues. In January, she got sick with COVID and pneumonia, ending up…