Latest Health News From The Illinois Newsroom Team
Champaign Head Start is fine for now under government shutdown, but moms worry about food
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.
The threat of Chagas in Illinois is low. But health officials want greater awareness of the disease
An estimated 300,000 people in the U.S. have been infected with Chagas disease, a parasitic illness transmitted by triatomine bugs, also known as “kissing bugs.”
Illinois braces for more patients as Wisconsin Planned Parenthood pauses abortions
Planned Parenthood clinics in Wisconsin will halt abortions Oct. 1. Trump’s tax and spending law includes a provision barring abortion providers from receiving Medicaid reimbursements.
As tick-borne illnesses rise, Illinois is taking steps to increase surveillance
Tick-borne diseases have been on the rise in Illinois for many years. And new research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign finds ticks are migrating to different parts of the state.
A new kind of asbestos case gets its first day in court with nationwide implications
More than 100 people in Bloomington-Normal have died of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illness because they were exposed to huge amounts of the fiber when they worked at the former Unarco asbestos plant on the city’s west side.
Illinois health officials recommend COVID-19 vaccine for all adults, contradicting feds
The new guidance follows an executive order signed by Gov. JB Pritzker earlier this month aimed at expanding access for COVID-19 shots and other vaccines across the state.
U of I will offer students on-campus abortion access starting this fall, following new Illinois law
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will begin offering students access to abortion care on campus this fall, following new state legislation that requires public universities to provide contraceptives and medication abortion.
Carle preparing to fill gaps in patient coverage amid OSF’s restructuring in Urbana
As OSF’s Heart of Mary Medical Center is preparing to eliminate some specialty services, Carle Foundation Hospital said it is preparing to treat a larger number of patients.
University of Illinois student activism leads to statewide campus abortion law
Student activists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are celebrating after Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new state law they helped enact.
Public voices opposition to proposed service changes at OSF Healthcare’s Heart of Mary Medical Center
OSF plans to expand behavioral healthcare at its Urbana facility — but multiple community members said they were concerned with the proposal to shift some specialty services to other locations.
Clean water advocates say new law will protect drinking water from PFAS contamination
The PFAS Reduction Act will phase out the use of manufactured per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS, by 2032.
Local family hosts fundraiser to support research for rare type of muscular dystrophy
The rare genetic disease weakens the muscles a person needs to walk, eat and breathe. A mother and daughter want to raise money for further research.
