A series of new laws could make it easier for consumers to comparison shop for prescriptions, make sure unused medicine doesn’t go to waste, and expand coverage of fertility treatment.
Family
The most wonderful time of the year can also be the most stressful.
In October, the Chicago City Council approved a $31.5 million plan to send checks to the city’s families most in need, promising immediate assistance. But no assistance has gone out yet.
A public health advisory from the U.S. surgeon general’s office details how the pandemic has disrupted the lives of children, teens and young adults, causing them anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.
The Protecting Moms Who Served Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood and championed by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to invest in quality maternal care for mothers across the country.
The case being argued Wednesday comes from Mississippi, where a 2018 law would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, well before viability. The Supreme Court has never allowed states to ban abortion before the point at roughly 24 weeks when a fetus can survive outside the womb.
The Korean Cultural Center of Chicago hosted 120 participants Saturday to play a local version that included games featured in the survival drama like tug of war and traditional Korean games like ddakji and squid game, the show’s namesake.
About 900,000 kids aged 5 to 11 will have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in their first week of eligibility, the White House said, providing the first glimpse at the pace of the school-aged vaccination campaign.
Mental health challenges for children have reached a national emergency, according to several medical organizations representing 77,000 physicians and more than 200 children’s hospitals. “The pandemic has taken its toll in numerous ways,” said clinical psychologist Mashana Smith.
Approximately 15,150 pediatric COVID-19 doses have been administered as of midday Monday, according to the state public health department.
Chicago’s newly approved 2021 budget includes a yearlong basic income pilot for 5,000 Chicago households. We discuss what the city is hoping that money can do to help low-income Chicagoans financially recover from the pandemic.
Spurred in part by Texas’ new restrictions on abortions, Illinois legislators on Tuesday took a step toward moving in the other direction, when the Illinois Senate voted to roll back a law that requires parents and guardians be notified before their minor child can have an abortion.
President Biden hopes to resolve lingering disputes over Democrats’ long-stalled effort to craft an expansive social and environment measure. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., two of their party’s most moderate members, have insisted on reducing the size of the package.
Attention chocoholics: Chicago has announced a citywide Halloween costume contest, with 10-pound bars of chocolate being dangled as the top prize.
All licensed day care center staff in Illinois must receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Dec. 3, according to an executive order issued Friday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Staff who are not fully vaccinated by Dec. 3 must, at a minimum, undergo weekly testing until they’re fully vaccinated.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is urging Congressional Democratic leadership to pass federal paid family and medical leave and “ensure this consequential moment is not lost” as Democrats continue to negotiate a deal to pass the Biden administration’s social safety net and infrastructure package.
