Students with special health needs have had parents do everything for them such as manage doctors’ appointments and answer health insurance questions. But as those students grow up, they must learn to care for themselves. La Rabida Children’s Hospital has a program designed to help both teens and their families make a smooth transition.  

State legislation allowing psychologists to prescribe medication drugs was approved in a House committee vote last week and now moves on to the full House for further debate. Tonight, we take a look at the controversial bill and debate the pros, cons. Learn more and read the full bill.

Do-it-yourself online eye exams could transform the world of optometry. We talk to a Crain’s Chicago Business reporter about a local start-up that has just scored $1 million in seed money to make it happen. 

The first official case of the deadly infection Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) surfaces in the U.S. Last week, a patient was diagnosed at Community Hospital in Munster, Ind. Elizabeth Brackett will have an update and explain more about the dangerous virus. 

Come July, Illinois may no longer have a poison control center. Tonight we look at the possibility of the long-standing Illinois Poison Center closing, analyze what that would mean for the state's only poison center. 

Results show that new treatments for Hepatitis C do work -- but at a cost. Brandis Friedman has the story of the new drugs costing tens- of- thousands of dollars.

In 2008, Timothy Ray Brown made international headlines as The Berlin Patient when he received a stem cell transplant that eradicated the virus that causes AIDS from his body. We’ll hear from Brown and the head of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Read an interview.

Hollye Jacobs was a nurse, social worker and child development specialist, when she found herself moving into the role of a patient. We look at her journey through surviving breast cancer and her new book, The Silver Lining, a supportive guide to help other cancer survivors. Read book excerpts, view a slideshow, and read an interview with the book's photographer.

The waiting list of patients seeking an organ transplant has reached almost 125,000 people, but the amount of willing donors is far behind that number. We discuss the past, present and future of organ transplantation. Read the personal story of a nurse-turned-organ donor.

The Chicago City Council has ordered the Chicago Fire Department to investigate an apparent shortage of ambulances and paramedics. We talk with former Chicago firefighter Ald. Nick Sposato (36th) about the order. Read an interview with Better Government Association investigative reporter Patrick Rehkamp about the implications of fewer ambulances in the city.

Cook County Health & Hospitals System interim CEO Dr. John Jay Shannon stops by to discuss his new role, transforming the health and hospital system, and the redevelopment of Stroger Hospital Campus. Read his bio, read an article, and view a map of Cook County Health & Hospitals System locations.

Last year, Cook County Health & Hospitals System began enrolling people in CountyCare, a Medicaid program for uninsured adults in Cook County. CCHHS has been enrolling individuals at 138 locations, including the Cook County Jail. Read an article.

More than 7 million Americans signed up for the Affordable Care Act. But who exactly signed up for ObamaCare? How many are paying into the health insurance system? And what happens to the people who missed Monday’s sign-up deadline? We go in-depth with Forbes health care and policy reporter, and author, Bruce Japsen. Read an article and a book excerpt.

Vaccinations for children have recently come up in the news with some celebrity moms opting out of vaccinating their kids and pointing to a potential relationship between additives in certain vaccines and autism. We talk with Dr. Adannia Enyioha of Rush University's Medical Center and Dr. Melanie Brown of Comer Children’s Hospital about vaccinations and the controversy surrounding the headlines. Read an article featuring voices from moms on both sides of the vaccination spectrum, and view a graphic of the CDC's recommended immunization schedule.

Vietnam veteran Lon Hodge struggled for years with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder until he got a PTSD service dog named Gander. Lon says that Gander has saved his life. Now, Lon and Gander help other vets and work to raise awareness about PTSD, veteran suicide and service dogs. We revisit Jay Shefsky's profile. Read an interview with Fran Menley, Service Dog Trainer at Freedom Service Dogs of America, about how they rescue, train and pair dogs with veterans and people with disabilities.

Are hospitals over-prescribing antibiotics to their patients? A recent report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that some clinicians prescribe three times as many antibiotics than clinicians in other hospitals, which can sometimes result in a patient taking an antibiotic for too long, potentially causing super-resistant infections. We discuss the effects of overdosing on antibiotics and how hospitals can improve antibiotic-prescribing. Read an interview and view a graphic of antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. by state.