Hospital Sisters Health System is partnering with Chapter, a national Medicare advising agency, to offer free consultations for Medicare patients enrolling in plans for 2026. Sangamon County residents, according to Medicare.gov, will see 11 fewer private Medicare plan options than they did this time last year. Insurance carrier, Medicare for Sangamon County Number of Medicare […]
health
Posted inOpinion
The light that turns people on
Everybody’s very happy’Cause the sun is shining all the timeLooks like another perfect dayI love L.A. – “I Love L.A.” by Randy Newman For years, people measured the deficiencies of life in Springfield in terms of lifestyle emporia or ethnic eateries. The city’s gloominess was thought to be cultural, not meteorological. But according to NASA […]
Posted inNews
Health insurance deadline approaches
James Hayes, Harvard Park Elementary principal, and Peggy Cormeny, family and community engagement coordinator for Springfield Public Schools, appear outside the school, which recently hosted an event helping families enroll in health insurance. Photo BY PATRICK YEAGLE A national deadline to enroll in health insurance looms at the end of March, and Springfield Public Schools […]
Posted inNews
The innovators
Fitness is in. We’ve all seen enough alarming articles about obesity in America to know that something has to change, and there are plenty of people in Springfield trying to do something about it. We’ve selected a small sample of people who are trying innovative and interesting approaches to helping those around them attain a […]
Posted inNews
Judge rejects retrial in ‘shaken baby’ case
Pamela Jacobazzi A former day care worker accused in 1995 of killing an infant by shaking him was denied a retrial last week, dealing a rare setback to the Springfield-based Illinois Innocence Project. DuPage County Circuit Judge Robert Kleeman on Sept. 20 declined to grant a retrial to Pamela Jacobazzi, 58, who has spent the […]
Posted inNews
Community clinic begins expansion
Breaking ground on the new expansion for Central Counties Health Centers is (from left to right) CCHC board chairman Bobby Hall, Springfield mayor Michael Houston, Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner, and CCHC president and CEO Craig Glover. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE A clinic offering health care to underserved people in and around Springfield started an […]
Posted inOpinion
Seeing is believing
In “Happier endings,” I pointed out that a lot of people make decisions about end-of-life care that are not fully informed. Jonathan Rauch, a contributing editor at The Atlantic and at the National Journal, gave us a fascinating report in the former magazine on work going on at Harvard University Medical School that tries to […]
Posted inArts & Culture
From the earth to the kitchen
With all the local foods movements going on, Illinois Times has decided to start a blog about gardening. Over time people have become less knowledgeable about where their food comes from. However, it seems as though times are changing. With the rise of community gardens and urban agriculture, more people are returning to the age-old […]
Posted inNews
Shortchanging Illinois children is a choice
Although times are difficult for social services in Illinois, a statewide advocacy group thinks that it is still possible to positively affect the lives of children. Voices for Illinois Children, a nonpartisan advocacy group which uses policy analysis and research to advance the lives of children, families and communities in Illinois, hosted its annual Illinois […]
Posted inNews
State gives Ameren a pollution pass
State regulators won’t enforce pollution limits on one of Illinois’ largest power generators until 2020 under a ruling released Sept. 20. The Illinois Pollution Control Board last week granted Ameren Energy Resources – a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation – a variance that allows the power plant operator to put off compliance with a […]
Posted inNews
City proposal could spur action on civil union benefits
The City of Springfield is one step closer to an agreement on health benefits for civil union partners of city employees and retirees. A committee composed of representatives from the city and labor unions previously decided to allow civil union partners of city employees and retirees to get city health insurance, but a judge’s ruling […]
Posted inNews
Don’t lie to your doctor
A middle-aged man sits in a chair in a Springfield exam room, facing Dr. Joshua Ellison of North Dirksen Medical Associates, a division of Memorial Physician Services. As Ellison looks through the man’s medical charts, he asks a few questions to get to the root of the man’s health problems. “How many beers do you […]
