Hospital needs volunteers who can visit with patients in their final hours
The No One Dies Alone program is a national movement in hospitals to have people that provide vigils for patients nearing the end of life.
Tag: carle foundation hospital
Local hospital and support groups guide parents through child and pregnancy loss
The Shining Light Infant Memorial Service honors the loss of babies and children in east-central Illinois. The annual event has been hosted by Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana every October since 2014.
How is Carle Hospital in Urbana handling the surge of sick kids?
URBANA – Converting adult intensive care beds, and naming nurse teams after Hogwarts houses – these are just a couple of the ways Carle Hospital in Urbana is weathering a surge of respiratory infections among children this winter. As COVID-19 precautions have waned, other respiratory viruses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza have spread
Carle and Aetna Medicare part ways, leaving some patients stranded
CHAMPAIGN – Carle Foundation Hospital will drop Aetna Medicare in January. That’s bad news for Bridget McGill, an Urbana resident who relies on Aetna Medicare Advantage to afford her monthly prescriptions. “I really don’t want to change insurance carriers. Are we going to pay if we go to a hospital, or are we going to
‘Everybody Is Working Tirelessly’: Central Illinois ICUs Again Operating Near Capacity
URBANA – In some parts of Illinois, the percentage of available intensive care beds has dropped below 20% as the number of COVID hospitalizations has risen over the past month. State data shows the southernmost region of Illinois has only 5% of ICU capacity available. A region in the northwest part of Illinois has about
Urbana Hospitals Not Requiring COVID-19 Vaccine For Employees Yet
URBANA – Urbana’s two hospitals are not requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but vaccinations are strongly encouraged. At OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center, 64% of all staff – including leadership, frontline workers and support staff – are fully vaccinated, according to Deborah McCarter, the hospital’s vice president and chief nursing officer. A
Where Can You Get Tested for COVID-19 In Central Illinois?
August 2023 Editor’s note: The information below was originally reported in June of 2021. Much of it is no longer relevant as the COVID-19 public health emergency was declared over by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 11, 2023. For health questions about COVID-19, call the Illinois Department of Public Health hotline
ER Staff Among The First To Get The Coronavirus Vaccine In Champaign County
URBANA – The process of vaccinating the first few hundred hospital workers in Champaign County began Thursday. In the first shipment, Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana received 400 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for its staff. OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana received 50 doses. Since doses are limited, hospitals are prioritizing
Illinois Hospitals Face Ethical Questions: ‘If Everybody’s At Capacity, What Do You Do Then?’
URBANA – Across Illinois’ Region 6, which includes 21 counties in east-central Illinois, hospitals have less than 30% capacity remaining in their medical-surgical and intensive care units, local health officials reported this week. Hospitals are filling up with COVID-19 patients as rates of community transmission rise throughout the region, says Champaign-Urbana Public Health Administrator Julie
Why The Flu Shot Is Important — And Where To Get One In East-Central Illinois
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 Unit 4 Elementary Students Can Return To In-Person Instruction
CHAMPAIGN – Champaign Unit 4 elementary school students will have the option to return to some in-person instruction at the end of this month. Unit 4 officials unveiled plans this week to bring students back into classrooms for shortened school days. The first day of in-person instruction is scheduled for Oct. 27. Parents can still
Hospitals Experiencing Issues Transferring COVID-19 Patients To Nursing Homes
URBANA – Health care providers in central Illinois say they have run into issues with nursing homes not wanting to accept residents back after they’ve been hospitalized for COVID-19. Dr. Robert Healy, chief quality officer of Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, says early on in the pandemic, some nursing homes had been requiring proof that
Carle Hospital Plans To Launch COVID-19 Antibody Testing In Upcoming Weeks
URBANA – Carle Foundation Hospital is preparing to launch antibody testing for COVID-19. The tests could be available to patients within the next two weeks, says Carle’s Chief Quality Officer Dr. Robert Healy. Not to be confused with COVID-19 testing that is used to diagnose someone who is currently sick, antibody testing determines whether a
How Health Care Providers In Champaign-Urbana Are Preparing For Coronavirus
URBANA – Health care providers in east-central Illinois say they’re prepared for the possibility of coronavirus coming to central Illinois. If someone’s sick enough — if they have a really high fever, if they have a really bad cough or chest pain — we’ll instruct them where to come. – Dr. Robert Healy OSF HealthCare’s
Carle Hospital In Urbana To Participate In Statewide Coronavirus Surveillance Program
URBANA – Starting this week, some patients who present to the emergency department at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana with flu-like symptoms will be tested for the coronavirus. Sample collection will be done at Carle, and testing will be conducted by the Illinois Department of Public Health, which is able to provide in-state testing for