CHICAGO — Ben Barnes has slept in abandoned buildings, hallways and alleys. For the past year or so, he’s been staying at the city’s largest homeless shelter, Pacific Garden Mission, in the shadows of the famous skyline. “I’ve always considered myself homeless because I don’t have a home,” he said on a recent crisp, fall…
For many families, this Thanksgiving will look like no other.
When University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign officials decided to reopen in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, they launched an ambitious plan to…
URBANA – Three large hospital systems in central Illinois — Carle Health, Memorial Health System and OSF HealthCare — are seeing more COVID-19 patients than ever before. Carle and Memorial — which each operate five hospitals across central Illinois — recently released public dashboards showing both the number of hospitalized patients and the percentage of…
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include information about the number of counselors and funds for mental health services provided by the University of Illinois. URBANA – Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign held a vigil Nov. 1 to honor the life of a student who died by suicide in late…
DECATUR – The Macon County Health Department is urging all schools within the county to switch to remote instruction at least through January 15 as COVID-19 cases surge. Macon County Public Health Administrator Brandi Binkley made the announcement during a press conference Monday afternoon. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District urged that county’s schools to switch…
This story was produced by Side Effects Public Media , a news collaborative covering public health. The recent COVID surge was enough to push BJC…
URBANA – As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it will be important for scientists to track how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV2, is mutating, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As the virus spreads from person to person, random mutations can lead to the creation of different strains over time. Understanding how those mutations…
Earlier this year, Aime’e Elliot couldn’t keep any solid foods down while pregnant with son Jacion. So the 28-year-old Indianapolis woman called a…
CHAMPAIGN – From schools to restaurants to hospitals, restrictions are once again underway around Champaign County as COVID-19 cases rise. Friday will be the last day for in-person classes at Champaign Unit 4 Schools and Urbana School District 116. Both districts are switching to remote instruction only, starting Monday. At a Thursday news conference, Champaign-Urbana…
DECATUR – Since March, 700 people in central Illinois have been hospitalized for COVID-19 across Memorial Health System’s five hospitals. Of those patients, 124 have died. In addition to the steady rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations since mid-July, hospital leaders are concerned that the seven-day COVID-19 test positivity rate across Memorial’s hospitals has risen to 26.8%…
URBANA – Public health officials say mask-wearing, social distancing — and getting an influenza vaccine — are things everyone can do to prevent hospitals from getting overwhelmed this flu season. Officials are asking Americans to get the flu shot to help avoid a “twindemic” caused by a combination of COVID-19 and the seasonal flu. Linda…
CHAMPAIGN — As the number of COVID-19 cases set a new state record Wednesday, Champaign County also reported a big increase in the number of people testing positive for the virus. The 305 new cases actually occurred over a couple of days. And administrator Julie Pryde with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District said there were…
URBANA – East-central Illinois restaurants and bars will have to operate under increased limitations, starting Monday, Nov. 2. That’s the starting date for COVID-19 resurgence mitigations announced for Region 6 by Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health. The 21-county region includes Champaign, Macon and Vermilion Counties. Other counties in Region 6…
ROCKFORD – Sandra Martell is in a tough spot. As public health administrator in northern Illinois’ Winnebago County, Martell was threatened with lawsuits from several area bar owners after she included them on a list of businesses allegedly defying the governor’s orders to halt indoor dining. The county is part of a region that faced…