Health & Environment

A man wearing a suit smiles while sitting at a desk chair in his office. Books about public health and leadership fill a tall bookshelf next to the desk.

New C-U Public Health director says he’ll focus on access to affordable health care in Champaign-Urbana

Illinois Student Newsroom

Despite concerns, LaHood doesn’t break with administration over vaccinations

Illinois Public Radio

Taishana Brown picked up her kids, Legend (left) and Legacy (right), from Head Start Wednesday, and picked up a box of food at the same time.

Latest Health News From The Illinois Newsroom Team

Champaign Head Start is fine for now under government shutdown, but moms worry about food

Emily Hays

The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission’s Early Childhood Division Director is concerned about families who participate in the local Head Start program being able to eat.

Case of Legionnaires’ disease confirmed at state-operated developmental center

Shapiro Developmental Center is home to more than 450 with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Flu cases are on the rise in Champaign County, health officials say

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health district is urging residents to get vaccinated and protect themselves as the county is seeing an uptick in flu cases.

Trump administration says it’s withholding social safety net money from 5 states over fraud concerns

Officials in the states say the administration is motivated by politics. The administration has not given details of the pause on funding or the fraud claims.

The main entrance of a Carle Health facility.

Carle Health adds visitor restrictions amid rise in respiratory illnesses

Carle Health has placed temporary visitor restrictions to limit the spread of respiratory illnesses at each of its facilities.

Flu cases are surging and rates will likely get worse, new CDC data shows

Last week, more than 19,000 patients with influenza were admitted to hospitals, up about 10,000 from the previous week, according to new CDC data.

RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz announce moves to ban gender-affirming care for young people

The pivot to the topic of transgender minors comes one day after Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a package of health care bills that do not extend subsidies for people who buy health insurance in Affordable Care Act plans.

Illinois vaccine committee votes to keep recommending hepatitis B vaccine for newborns

Since at least 2018, the state has logged only one confirmed case of a newborn infected with hepatitis B.

Republicans defy Speaker Johnson to force House vote on extending ACA subsidies

Four centrist Republicans broke with Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday and signed onto a Democratic-led petition that will force a House vote on extending for three years an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowers health insurance costs for millions of Americans.