@kschorsch.bsky.social
Illinois residents who are terminally ill can now end their lives with medication. Here's how the law works + why hospice providers are frustrated with the Pritzker administration: tinyurl.com/v3u85du9 @wbez.org @chicago.suntimes.com @aadm.org @compandchoices.bsky.social
Illinois residents who are terminally ill can now end their lives. Here’s how it works.
The medical aid in dying law is facing court challenges but the law still stands.
tinyurl.com
BREAKING: Illinois has mailed letters to more than 700,000 people that they will or could lose their public Medicaid health insurance, some as soon as Oct. 1, due to big federal changes. Here's what to know >> tinyurl.com/2z7szx68 @wbez.org @chicago.suntimes.com @icirr.bsky.social
Illinois alerts more than 700,000 people they will or could lose public health insurance
The state has mailed letters to thousands of Medicaid enrollees who are low-income or have a disability. They could lose coverage as soon as Oct. 1 due to legislation that President Trump signed into ...
tinyurl.com
'Secondary trauma was so pervasive.' Please read & listen to 3 deeply personal stories about how Operation Midway Blitz affects people who help immigrants in the Chicago area with their mental health: tinyurl.com/5cuhbmw9 @cimh.bsky.social @cartercenter.bsky.social @medillschool.bsky.social
3 leaders who work with Chicago’s immigrant communities reflect on the toll of Operation Midway Blitz
Angela Sedeño, Cindy Eigler and Vero Ortiz help provide mental health services for immigrants. They talk about how President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation campaign changed them and how they cope now...
tinyurl.com
#POWERLESS. 12 nights without power in Gary, Indiana. 'Why is this ok?' chicago.suntimes.com/graphics/wea... Gorgeous reporting by @elviamalagon.bsky.social and Ashlee Rezin
12 nights without power in Gary, Indiana, ‘Why is this OK?’ | Chicago Sun-Times
With no power and a spotty generator, every day is a struggle for a family of seven as they approach two weeks without electricity in Northwest Indiana.
chicago.suntimes.com
More people travel to Illinois than to any other state for an abortion. A program helps the small percentage who need care in a hospital: tinyurl.com/yju3vkye @chiabortionfund.bsky.social @wbez.org @chicago.suntimes.com
Many women with high-risk pregnancies can’t get abortions in their home states. Illinois welcomes them.
More people travel to Illinois than to any other state for an abortion. A program helps the small percentage who need care in a hospital.
tinyurl.com
📣NEW: Cook County Health expects to provide nearly $500M in free or discounted care in 2027. Why? More people losing insurance either by dropping ACA plans now that subidies are gone, or losing Medicaid coverage next year: tinyurl.com/yvah86hp @wbez.org @kffhealthnews.org @chicago.suntimes.com
Cook County predicts charity care will soar to highest level in more than a decade
The county’s public health system is on track to provide nearly $500 million in free or discounted care in 2027 as more people lose or drop health insurance
tinyurl.com
More criticism for new Illinois law that requires hospitals file more financial info w/state regulators, but will keep it hidden from the public. The move comes as two for-profit hospitals suddenly closed in the last year, via @kwashburn.bsky.social tinyurl.com/ymydbfnj
Patients call on Pritzker to reopen Weiss, West Suburban hospitals
During a rally in Daley Plaza, advocates also criticized a new state law that requires hospitals to file more financial information with state regulators. But those records will be hidden from the pub...
tinyurl.com
Financial documents that could alert communities to which hospitals are at risk of closing will be kept confidential under a new state law enacted by Gov. JB Pritzker. The move comes as doctors fear more hospitals could close next year.
A new Illinois law keeps hospital finances hidden from the public
chicago.suntimes.com
NEW: A new Illinois law requires a deeper look into hospitals' finances to prevent sudden closures. But these records will be hidden from the public. I found this in a 500+ page law. State lawmakers approved this unanimously: tinyurl.com/3z9z6cfd @shiakapos.bsky.social @wbez.org
A new Illinois law keeps hospital finances hidden from the public
Financial documents that could alert communities to which hospitals are at risk of closing will be kept confidential under a new state law enacted by Gov. JB Pritzker. The move comes as doctors fear m...
tinyurl.com
3+ months after a West Side hospital closed, some patients are ending up at Community First Medical Center and are shocked at conditions in the ER, per a nurse. 'I equate it to M*A*S*H*,' the TV Show where a surgical team works in a war zone. tinyurl.com/368d7ejr
‘Where do they go?’ What West Side patients face after their hospital closes.
Patients are finding longer travel times and packed ERs since West Suburban Medical Center closed in March. Doctors worry which hospital could shutter next.
tinyurl.com
'That was a hospital that took patients who other places wouldn’t see.' West Suburban Medical Center closed 3+ months ago. The impact on patients: ✅Facing packed ERs ✅Delaying care b/c they don't want to go far from home, then ending up in the ER sicker. tinyurl.com/368d7ejr
‘Where do they go?’ What West Side patients face after their hospital closes.
Patients are finding longer travel times and packed ERs since West Suburban Medical Center closed in March. Doctors worry which hospital could shutter next.
tinyurl.com
BREAKING: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson taps a Rush Health executive as the city's next public health commissioner, pending City Council approval. tinyurl.com/2vuznvtf @wbez.org @chicago.suntimes.com
Mayor Brandon Johnson taps new public health commissioner
Dr. Garth Walker is the chief medical officer at Rush Health. He would replace Dr. Olusimbo Ige, who resigned in May. His appointment requires City Council approval.
tinyurl.com
The latest wave of nurses unionizing is in Chicago. Their concerns: fired for organizing, pay cuts while execs gets bonuses, chronic understaffing: tinyurl.com/2wmpdd3z @elviamalagon.bsky.social @wbez.org @chicago.suntimes.com @nationalnurses.bsky.social @teamsters.bsky.social
Nurses at St. Mary Hospital in Chicago go on one-day strike
The move comes less than a week before hundreds of St. Mary’s nurses are expected to vote on whether to form a union amid a wave of local organizing.
tinyurl.com
📣NEW: U.S. Congressman Chuy Garcia is calling on Endeavor Health to reinstate 2 nurses who were allegedly fired over unionizing efforts. About 1,000 people have signed a petition to bring them back to work, too: tinyurl.com/9634xvct @wbez.org @chicago.suntimes.com @shiakapos.bsky.social
U.S. Congressman tells Endeavor Health to stop retaliating against unionizing nurses
Democratic Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia is calling on Endeavor to reinstate two nurses who were allegedly fired from Evanston Hospital and to respect workers rights to organize.
tinyurl.com
A few things to know about how Chicago is preparing for Ebola: ✔️The risk here is LOW ✔️Adult patients would go to Rush; kids to Lurie Children's ✔️The city routinely trains for this, not just when there's an outbreak. ✔️If you're traveling this weekend ... >> tinyurl.com/4djwm675
From O’Hare to the hospital, here’s how Chicago is preparing for Ebola
The risk of Ebola arriving in Chicago is low, but local leaders are using lessons from a decade-old playbook they created during another Ebola outbreak just in case.
tinyurl.com
📣NEW: The risk of Ebola arriving in Chicago is low, but local leaders are using lessons from a decade-old playbook they created during another Ebola outbreak just in case. 5 things to know from O'Hare to the hospital: tinyurl.com/4djwm675 @wbez.org @luriechildrens.bsky.social @chicago.suntimes.com
From O’Hare to the hospital, here’s how Chicago is preparing for Ebola
The risk of Ebola arriving in Chicago is low, but local leaders are using lessons from a decade-old playbook they created during another Ebola outbreak just in case.
tinyurl.com
NEW: Nearly 3,000 nurses at Endeavor Health in the Chicago area are working to unionize over pay cuts and what they say are unsafe working conditions putting patients at risk ... as executives get bonuses. tinyurl.com/3mfabz2t @wbez.org @chicago.suntimes.com
Thousands of Endeavor Health nurses look to unionize over pay cuts, staffing conditions
Nurses accuse Endeavor of staffing too few nurses, putting patients at risk. The mobilization effort would unionize nurses at four of Endeavor’s nine hospitals.
tinyurl.com
📣 Starting *today* about 120,000 people in Illinois could start losing federal food assistance, known as SNAP. Here's what to know, from a Chicago area food pantry guide to how to meet new SNAP requirements, via @elviamalagon.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/5n782jzh @wbez.org @chicago.suntimes.com
SNAP food assistance cutoffs begin Friday in Illinois — what you need to know
About 120,000 people statewide are expected to lose SNAP food support starting in May because of President Donald Trump’s expanded work and volunteer rules.
tinyurl.com
📣Life expectancy in Chicago tops pre-pandemic levels, with Black Chicagoans leading the way. The 20-year death gap between neighborhoods still persists. Details & context >> tinyurl.com/5n6e2zrz @wbez.org
Life expectancy in Chicago tops pre-pandemic levels, with Black Chicagoans leading the way
Black Chicagoans have added almost six years to their lives since 2020, new Chicago public health data shows. But a 20-year life expectancy gap between neighborhoods persists.
tinyurl.com
📣NEW: Life expectancy in Chicago has bounced back since COVID-19 pandemic. ✔️Life expectancy was at all-time high (80 yrs) per new 2024 data ✔️Biggest gains on South, West sides ✔️Black Chicagoans made the most gains ✔️Still 20-year death gap between neighborhoods tinyurl.com/5n6e2zrz @wbez.org
‘This was built for you.’ West Garfield Park celebrates nearly $50 million wellness center
The Sankofa Village Wellness Center comes as new public health data shows West Garfield Park no longer has the lowest life expectancy in Chicago. Black residents have made the most gains since the COV...
tinyurl.com
📣A must-read: Flooding in Chicago is getting worse. Here's why & what you can do about it, via @brettchase.bsky.social @chicago.suntimes.com: tinyurl.com/3yyw72mw @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social
Flooding in Chicago is getting worse. Here's why.
Blamed in part on climate change, the threat of water ponding in your yard or your basement is growing, a Sun-Times/WBEZ investigation has found, putting health, homes at risk.
tinyurl.com
We got word that West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, which abruptly closed last month over $$, is reopening primary care clinics at the hospital. That's despite being served eviction notices. The CEO is fighting that in court, via @kwashburn.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/7c2ckpfm
Weiss, West Suburban hospital campuses face eviction over nearly $25 million in back rent
Eviction notices dated April 9 gave the hospitals five days to pay millions in rent. The notices were included in a lawsuit filed Tuesday and seen on the front door of West Suburban's River Forest cam...
tinyurl.com
📣NEW: Illinois regulators have little power to stop hospital closures. State lawmakers are calling for: ✔️all hospitals to file plans w/the state in case they close or suspend services ✔️for-profit hospitals that largely shield their $$ to open up their books tinyurl.com/5byadcbc @wbez.org
Illinois regulators have little power to stop hospital shutdowns. Lawmakers are stepping in.
Legislation proposed in Springfield would require hospitals to submit plans in case they close or cut services. It comes as West Suburban Medical Center suspended care. More hospitals could be next.
tinyurl.com
📣NEW: Illinois regulators have little power to stop hospital closures. State lawmakers are calling for: ✔️all hospitals to file plans w/the state in case they close or suspend services ✔️for-profit hospitals that largely shield their $$ to open up their books. tinyurl.com/5byadcbc @wbez.org
Illinois regulators have little power to stop hospital shutdowns. Lawmakers are stepping in.
Legislation proposed in Springfield would require hospitals to submit plans in case they close or cut services. It comes as West Suburban Medical Center suspended care. More hospitals could be next.
tinyurl.com
As West Suburban Medical Center closes: ✅hospital struggled for months (no heat, broken x-ray machines, no docs on call for ICU, per inspection reports) ✅State criticizes sudden closure, but it's allowed by law ✅Medical staff prez calls for new CEO w/@kwashburn.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/yrreuyuc
West Suburban Medical Center struggled to treat patients months before closing
The owner of the Oak Park hospital vows to reopen this summer, though finding the money is a big barrier. Recent inspection reports also show broader issues.
tinyurl.com
NEW: Months before West Suburban Medical Center abruptly closed, the hospital struggled to treat patients — and keep the heat on. @kwashburn.bsky.social and I have receipts. tinyurl.com/4sbbjeku @wbez.org @chicago.suntimes.com
West Suburban Medical Center struggled to treat patients months before closing
The owner of the Oak Park hospital vows to reopen this summer, though finding the money is a big barrier. Recent inspection reports also show broader issues.
tinyurl.com
It’s official. Preckwinkle wins. The crowd at Little Black Pearl on Chicago’s South Side erupts in cheer. They chant ‘four more years!’ and ‘Happy Birthday!’ Across town, Reilly concedes and thanks his family.
@kschorsch.bsky.social · 6mo agoI’m at Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s election night party. It’s also her birthday. The longtime Cook County Board prez has a big lead over Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly.
I’m at Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s election night party. It’s also her birthday. The longtime Cook County Board prez has a big lead over Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly.
It's primary election eve! Voting in Chicago and Cook County? Here's our voter guide -- where candidates stand on the issues that matter to you. You can even build your ballot ahead of time: tinyurl.com/2wjj8rns @wbez.org @chicago.suntimes.com @shiakapos.bsky.social
Your Voter Guide to the 2026 Illinois Primary | March 17
Be prepared for this midterm primary election by exploring who is on your ballot, competitive races, and common voting questions.
tinyurl.com
📻Please click *PLAY* and travel with me to Angela & Sammie Taylor's community garden on Chicago’s West Side, where food is medicine. It's a homegrown solution to narrowing the 20-year death gap in Chicago: tinyurl.com/mwfetr2c @wbez.org @chicago.suntimes.com @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social
Growing healthy food to narrow Chicago’s 20-year life expectancy gap: ‘If we eat better, we do better’
Chicagoans are expected to die earlier in West Garfield Park than in any other neighborhood in the city. Sammie and Angela Taylor support a network of community gardens to help close that gap.
tinyurl.com