News Around Illinois — Sept. 9, 2020
U of Illinois Sues To Stop Nurses Strike This Weekend CHICAGO (AP) — The University of Illinois Board of Trustees are suing to try to stop nurses at the University of Illinois Hospital from striking this weekend. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court names the Illinois Nurses Association as a defendant and […]
Mental Health Providers Take Steps To Meet Growing Need During The Pandemic
PAXTON, IL – Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are reporting symptoms of depression, according to a recent study in the journal JAMA Network Open. The study finds those with lower incomes and high exposure to coronavirus stressors are at greatest risk. In rural Ford County, more people have reached out for help […]
How Natural Disasters Are Driving A Mental Health Crisis
Barbara Herndon lay in the center of her bed, muscles tensed, eyes on the television. She was waiting for the storm. All morning on that day in late May…
A Flood Devastated This Town In 2019, And Residents Are Still Struggling
Floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters can devastate a town in just a few hours. But the impact on residents can linger for years in the form of…
Farmers’ Struggles With Mental Health Increase Amid Pandemic
CHAMPAIGN — Meg Moynihan knows what it’s like to struggle. In 2016 she and her husband, who own an organic dairy farm in Minnesota, found themselves without a processor, which turns farm milk into a consumer product. Their farm was too far a drive for too little milk, they were told. They didn’t find another […]
Police Reform Issues Loom Large Before Urbana City Council
URBANA — A set of shared goals and standards for police and communities of color was approved by the Urbana City Council Monday night. Council members also heard a new proposal for shifting response to mental health emergencies away from the police, and on Tuesday, made last-minute reductions to police spending in the new city […]
COVID-19 Crisis Puts Pressure On Farmers’ Mental Health
Studies have found the rates of mental illness and suicide are higher for farmers . They work long hours, have limited social contact and are at the…
Some Doctors Struggle With Guilt Amid COVID-19 Crisis
About 20 or so women were gathered for a late afternoon video conference. Some had glasses of wine, or cups of coffee. You could see pets in a few…
The Therapist Is Ready To See Your Image Now
Illinoisans experiencing mental illness have had to face a new world in the pandemic. Most — except for those in residential or emergency situations –…
Pritzker Announces Telehealth Program For COVID-19 Patients, And Mental Health Support Line Illinois
Residents who have COVID-19 symptoms or may have been exposed will be able to recover from their homes with the help of a new patient monitoring program. The governor announced the statewide program Saturday. Those who are sick but don’t need to be in the hospital will have daily virtual visits with health workers. They […]
News Around Illinois – February 12, 2020
Actor Jussie Smollett Faces 6 New Charges In Chicago CHICAGO – Actor Jussie Smollett has been indicted for a second time on charges of lying to police about a racist and anti-gay attack he allegedly staged on himself last year in downtown Chicago. The indictment came from a special prosecutor who was appointed after Cook […]
News Around Illinois – January 23, 2020
Gov. Pritzker Signs Law Allowing More Young People To Vote SPRINGFIELD – A new law signed Wednesday will give students two hours out of their school day to go vote in elections. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker approved the change to give high schoolers of legal age a chance to vote during school hours. Senator Elgie Sims, a […]
News Around Illinois – November 20, 2019
Urbana Board Votes To Increase Police Presence In Schools The Urbana District 116 Board of Education voted 4 to 3 Tuesday night to quadruple police presence in the district’s middle and high schools. The measure comes after a fight in February at the high school that resulted in multiple arrests and injuries. Since 1993, the district […]
Community Works Towards Solutions For Traumatized Students
How many people would come to discuss the topic of students and trauma? No guests had been confirmed, but social media activity suggested high turnout for Illinois Newsroom’s first event News & Brews: How Schools Can Better Help Kids Cope. Now it was a question of capacity. The tap room in Riggs Beer Company in […]
U.S. County Jails Step Up Mental Health Screening To Keep Inmates From Coming Back
DeVonte Jones began to show signs of schizophrenia as a teenager. His first public episode was nine years ago at a ball game at Wavering Park in Quincy,…