Capitol Briefs: State gets ‘average’ lung cancer grade, announces opioid settlements, manufacturing grants
Lung Association rates state policies; opioid funds top $1.3 billion; Made in Illinois program launches.
Why are people afraid of the most popular opioid addiction treatment?
Buprenorphine saved Eric Ezzi. Heroin had overrun the Philadelphia-area native’s life in his early 20s. He lost jobs, went to jail and burned bridges with his family. A few years into his addiction, Ezzi found what he hoped would be the ultimate solution: buprenorphine. Often known by the brand name Suboxone, buprenorphine is a medication…
State partners with Google to launch new portal for children’s mental health resources
Platform scheduled for summer start; aimed at both parents and providers.
Parents say student found dead on University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus was an “energetic, happy-go-lucky kid”
Akul Dhawan’s friend called campus police about an hour after midnight on Saturday, Jan. 20. It wasn’t until 10 hours later that an unrelated university employee found the 18-year-old dead on a nearby porch.
Some Midwest states earn failing grades in tobacco prevention and cessation efforts: ALA report
The American Lung Association released its 2024 State of Tobacco Control report Wednesday, which evaluates state efforts to eliminate tobacco use. Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa and Ohio scored failing grades in most categories. The report compares state policies to evidence-based practices known to prevent youth from using tobacco and help smokers quit. It looks at…
Champaign County is short 300 nursing home beds. Health officials want input on how to help
National data shows that beds are disappearing while the need for senior care is growing. This problem will only multiply because of the rapid projected growth of U.S. residents ages 65 and older — from 56 million in 2020 to 81 million by 2040.
Capitol Briefs: State Police report fewer deaths on Illinois highways in 2023
Leaders credit stepped up enforcement for lower fatalities and shootings across the state.
Illinois House speaker assembles lawmakers to recommend help for migrant crisis
About 38,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago. They come on buses largely at the behest of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who said he is lifting the burden from small border towns in his state.
Freezing temperatures complicate Chicago’s struggles to house asylum-seekers
For more than a year, Chicago has wrestled with how to house new arrivals until shelter space is free, with measures city leaders insist are a stopgap.
Medicaid unwinding is causing people with disabilities to lose coverage with devastating consequence
Since the pandemic-era freeze on Medicaid disenrollment ended this spring, millions across the country –– including eligible recipients –– have lost their coverage for administrative reasons. Paperwork errors, system glitches, long wait times and outdated notices are kicking people off the rolls and vexing those caught up in the process. For people with disabilities, the…
Some states with abortion bans saw slightly more births, new analysis finds
Abortion bans may have led to an increase in birth rates in some states, a new report suggests. Three university researchers closely analyzed 13 states that prohibited abortion in nearly all situations by the end of 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated a federal right to abortion. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics published…
Your college student is back home and you want to talk mental health? Keep this mind
Mental health experts say the holidays provide an opportunity for parents to check in on their children’s psychological wellbeing as thousands of college students are back home. “This is an important time of year because you’re going to be spending more time with your kids,” Rhonda Randall, UnitedHealthcare’s chief medical officer, said. Having conversations about…
New federal requirements aim to fix chronically understaffed nursing homes
At the Prairie View skilled nursing home in Sanborn, Iowa, the cafeteria was noisy on a recent Thursday. But not far from the sounds of conversation among dozens of residents is a unit that sits quiet and empty. Wendy Nelson, Prairie View’s administrator, used a code on a keypad to enter into what used to…
Losing sleep over binge watching shows and online shopping? New survey finds 75% of U.S. adults do
More than three-fourths of Americans lose sleep because of digital distractions, according to a new survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Experts say that can be harmful for people’s health. More than 90% of the adults surveyed said they have lost sleep due to binge watching television and 75% said they have lost…
After pushing for law targeting ‘crisis pregnancy centers,’ attorney general backs off legal fight
Bill sponsor calls Kwame Raoul’s decision ‘heartbreaking’ and a ‘gut punch’ to women.