Health

Politics

Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough hospitalized for 'serious medical condition'

Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough was hospitalized for serious medical condition, her spokesperson said. “Her family is requesting privacy, and we ask for prayers for the Clerk and her family at this difficult time,” said Sally Daly, deputy clerk of communications.

By Kaitlin Washburn

A tipped prescription bottle with pills coming out of it.

Other Views

Prescription drug affordability boards do more harm than good

If Illinois follows through with legislation to create such a board, some medications could get pulled from pharmacies. People without means to travel out of state or pay cash would be left out.

By Jen Laws

Total Solar Eclipse BusinessesFILE - Viewers use special glasses to watch from San Antonio, as the moon moves in front of the sun during an annular solar eclipse, or ring of fire, Oct. 14, 2023. The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 may be weeks away but businesses are ready for the celestial event with oodles of special eclipse glasses for sale, along with T-shirts and other souvenirs. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File) ORG XMIT: NYPM508

Environment

Warby Parker offering free solar eclipse-viewing glasses

The glasses will be available at all Warby Parker locations while supplies last starting Monday until the day of the eclipse April 8.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

The branches of an oak tree are stained with a green tint from pollen.

Health

Allergy season arrived early this year. Here’s how to keep pollen from ruining your spring

Sneezing and itchy eyes are here already and may last longer than usual. “This season has been so nuts,” says Dr. Rachna Shah, allergist at Loyola Medicine Allergy Count.

By Devi Shastri | Associated Press

Other Views

Don't be fooled by support for 'medical-aid-in-dying.' You're not getting the full story.

First, this is physician-assisted suicide. Second, a poll that showed a majority of people are in favor of it was conducted in a one-sided manner.

By Bryan Just

News

Measles case confirmed in suburban Cook County, 52 cases reported in Chicago

The resident was exposed during their time at a migrant shelter. They have recovered and are no longer contagious, the Cook County Department of Public Health said.

By Cindy Hernandez

Flanked by supporters, Illinois state Rep. Kelly Cassidy speaks during a news conference at the UIC Forum to highlight Illinois legislative victories and celebrate the Trans Day of Visibility, Friday, March 29, 2024. I Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

LGBTQIA+

Chicago health department holds first Transgender Health and Wellness summit

Advocates from across the United States spoke at the summit, and some hope to hold similar evens their cities.

By Violet Miller

Dr. Gary Gibbon, left, Dr. Ankit Bharat, center, and Dr. Satish Nadig, left, chatting in clinic after Bharat and Nadig performed a double transplant surgery on Gibbon. The two surgeons implanted a new set of lungs and a liver in Gibbon last September.

News

California doctor gets new lungs and liver at Northwestern after damaging treatment for advanced cancer

His surgeons spent 10 hours transplanting his new lungs and liver in September. Six months after the operation, Dr. Gary Gibbon remains cancer-free, able to breathe on his own and celebrated his 69th birthday on Wednesday.

By Kaitlin Washburn

Health

Staring at solar eclipse can damage your eyes for months if you don't use protection, Chicago doctors say

Doctors say looking at the April 8 eclipse without approved solar glasses — which are many times darker than sunglasses — can lead to retinal burns and can result in blind spots and permanent vision loss.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

Health

5 more measles cases bring Chicago’s outbreak total to 31

Children ages 4 and younger account for 21 of the city’s total cases, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. Officials say vaccination is the best way to prevent measles and stop its spread.

By Kade Heather

Head shot of Alliyah Thomas, wearing black as she sits outside her South Chicago home, with brick buildings in the background.

Metro/State

'Punishment for being pregnant': Report details poor care for pregnant people in county jails

The new report by ACLU of Illinois and Women’s Justice Institute shares stories from women who were pregnant while jailed across Illinois. Researchers also say a quarter of county jails don’t have written policies on how to care for people who are pregnant or postpartum.

By Kaitlin Washburn

The blue-gloved hands of a nurse prepare a syringe of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

News

2nd dose of measles vaccine can slow outbreak, Chicago health officials say

Residents at the Pilsen migrant shelter should receive a second measles shot 28 days after their first one, the city’s Department of Public Health advised.

By Cindy Hernandez

Doctor giving encouragement to elderly patient

Other Views

Why I'm sponsoring legislation for medical aid in dying

Illinoisans should have the option to decide for themselves when they have suffered enough at the end of life so they can die peacefully, at home.

By State Sen. Linda Holmes

A health care worker administers the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Other Views

Migrants should be vaccinated for measles at U.S. ports of entry

Venezuela, where most of the migrants come from, used to have relatively high vaccination rates but, due to instability there, rates have plummeted and measles cases have increased.

By Rebecca Singer and Stockton Mayer

Isabelle Dizon contacted her campus counseling center when she hit a low point during her sophomore year of college, but never heard back. Now a junior at the University of Illinois at Chicago, she hopes the school hires someone at the center to, at the very least, pick up the phone.

Education

UIC student called, emailed for campus mental health counseling. No one answered

Like a lot of students, Isabelle Dizon was looking for mental health support. The University of Illinois Chicago promised to help but never came through.

By Lisa Philip | WBEZ

Health

2 more measles cases bring Chicago’s outbreak total to 15

The newest cases were both in children 4 years or younger, the same age group that has accounted for more than half of the city’s cases.

By Kade Heather

A city crew fixed a water pipe and replaced a lead service line in Calumet Heights Friday. Nearby, officials announced a $336 million loan to the city to help replace lead lines.

Environment

Lead in water a threat to two-thirds of young children in Chicago

In all, 129,000 children, 68% of those 5 or younger, had lead in their home drinking water, a study found.

By Brett Chase

Health

Asian American family advocacy center opens in Chicago, a first for the state

Family advocacy centers are a statewide network of community-based providers with the objective of supporting families to keep them out of the Illinois Department of Children and Families Services system.

By Kaitlin Washburn

UChicago Medicine, pictured here in 2020, is building an $815 million cancer facility.

Health

UChicago Medicine ordered to pay $14 million to parents of 4-year-old boy in wrongful death suit

Omatola Oyedapo gave birth at the University of Chicago hospital in July 2016. The lawsuit claimed negligence in the hospital’s emergency department delayed the delivery, causing severe neurological injuries to the child, who died four years later.

By Audrey Hettleman

La Voz Chicago

Una propuesta protegería la información sobre el aborto y la salud reproductiva en los documentos judiciales

La iniciativa, la primera de este tipo en el país, sellaría o redactaría automáticamente los detalles sobre la salud reproductiva de una persona incluidos en documentos de las cortes.

By Kaitlin Washburn

News

Lurie Children's Hospital begins restoring MyChart platform over six weeks after cyberattack

The hospital said to expect intermittent disruptions on the platform as MyChart hasn’t been updated since before it was taken down. It’s been over six weeks since Lurie had to take down all of its systems because of a cybersecurity threat.

By Kaitlin Washburn

Health

2 CPS students reported to have measles as new cases climb to 12, officials say

Earlier this week, Chicago Public Schools learned of a positive measles case involving a student at Philip D. Armour Elementary School, and the Chicago Department of Public Health confirmed another case at Cooper Dual Language Elementary Academy.

By Mohammad Samra

Editorials

Chicago's measles flare-up shows why vaccination is essential

Illinois is one of 17 states in which dozens of measles cases have been reported this year, including eight cases in a Chicago migrant shelter.

By CST Editorial Board

Health

Three more measles cases reported at Pilsen migrant shelter, bringing citywide total to eight

The Illinois Health Department said Tuesday it would mobilize resources to help Chicago and Cook County contain the spread of the virus.

By Cindy Hernandez

Abortion

Abortion, other reproductive health info would be shielded in court documents under pioneering proposal

The initiative, the first of its kind in the country, would automatically seal or redact details about someone’s reproductive health detailed in court documents.

By Kaitlin Washburn

Health

Two more measles cases identified at Pilsen migrant shelter

The newest cases were both in adults at the shelter. The city’s total number of cases is up to five, the city health department says. More than 900 residents of the shelter were vaccinated over the weekend and are being quarantined for 21 days.

By Violet Miller

Health

National Labor Relations Board files complaint against Howard Brown Health

In July the regional office of the NLRB found merit in accusations against Howard Brown by union members alleging the organization bargained in bad faith amid layoffs last year. The agency has been seeking a settlement between the two sides.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

The University of Chicago Medicine located at 5841 S. Maryland, in the Hyde Park neighborhood, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020.

Health

University of Chicago Medicine, nurses reach tentative contract to avoid Thursday strike

National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United — which represents 2,800 nurses in the health system — said the one-day strike set for Thursday was canceled after a tentative contract was reached.

By Violet Miller

Health

Second case of measles found in child at Pilsen shelter, city's third case this week

The city health agency is currently screening other residents of the shelter at 2241 S. Halsted St. and those who may have come in contact with the children while they were contagious, officials said in a Sunday news release.

By Violet Miller

Mike DeBartolo and Jeff Dohnal concentrate on the ball during the Parkinson's Players pingpong class at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Health & Fitness Center.

News

Pingpong class helps Parkinson's patients find community: 'It shows us that we’re not alone'

Pingpong, or table tennis, is a game most people played during their younger years. What many probably don’t realize is how beneficial it can be to helping brain function, says Linda Egan, Parkinson’s program coordinator at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital.

By Cindy Hernandez