Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, poses for a portrait inside an exam room at Planned Parenthood Friday, March 10, 2023, in Fairview Heights, Ill. (AP Photo / Jeff Roberson)
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Hundreds of women travel each week to the southern tip of Illinois to secure an abortion, something that is no longer available to millions living in a 1,800 mile stretch of 11 Southern states that have mostly banned pregnancy terminations.

Hospitals are closely watching an ongoing shortage of albuterol, which is used to treat people with breathing problems. (Adobe Stock)

Liquid albuterol has been in short supply since last summer. Now, the news of a manufacturing plant shutdown worries some doctors who work with patients with breathing problems such as asthma.

FILE - OxyContin pills are arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt., Feb. 19, 2013. (AP Photo / Toby Talbot, File)

The proposal could overhaul the way millions of Americans get some prescriptions after three years of relying on telehealth for doctor’s appointments by computer or phone during the pandemic.

Former President Jimmy Carter is pictured in 2014. (Credit: LBJ Library)

What is hospice care and what does it mean that the longest-living American president is foregoing medical intervention? 

A CVS store sign is displayed in Pittsburgh on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. (AP Photo / Gene J. Puskar)

Oak Street runs care centers mostly for lower-to-middle income people with Medicare Advantage plans. Those are privately run versions of the federal government’s program for people aged 65 and older.

(Credit: Ion Barbu / Macondos / Adobe Stock via CNN)

Since transitioning to a new line, in the past six months, about 2.1 million calls, texts and chats to the new 988 number have been routed to a response center and, of those, around 89% were answered by a counselor, according to a CNN analysis of data from SAMHSA, which oversees 988. 

A business district in the West Garfield Park community is pictured on Jan. 19, 2023. (WTTW News)

A coalition of community-led groups just received $10 million from the Pritzker Traubert Foundation to help fund a wide-ranging project. It’ll bring together a range of services and opportunities — from health and wellness, to arts and culture and beyond.

(WTTW News)

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill that provides more protection for patients coming to Illinois to seek gender-affirming health care. The move comes as several states attempt to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender people.

(WTTW News)
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Medical debt affects 27% of Cook County residents. Of those, 42% are people of color.

Workers at Howard Brown Health strike on Jan. 4, 2023. (WTTW News)

Howard Brown Health will next year mark 50 years of serving the health needs of the LBGTQ and HIV-positive communities. Going forward, it will do so minus about 16% of its workforce. 

Vicki Strawn walks with her son, Nate Strawn, months after receiving a heart transplant. (WTTW News)

At the age of 51, Vicki Strawn suffered a heart attack. Living with cardiac problems came with limitations that made it difficult to walk or cook. Strawn finally got the call she’d been waiting for on May 16, 2021.

(WTTW News)

The Illinois legislature was busy in 2022, enacting hundreds of new laws, many of which will take effect on Sunday.

Strep A illustration. (CDC)

“It’s too soon to say whether iGAS case numbers are just returning to pre-pandemic levels or if they are rising beyond what we would normally expect based on what we know about GAS seasonal patterns,” CDC spokesperson Kate Grusich wrote In an email.

 A registered nurse works on a computer while assisting a COVID-19 patient in Los Angeles. (AP Photo / Jae C. Hong, File)

Hospital systems around the country are rolling out fees for some messages that patients send to physicians, who they say are spending an increasing amount of time poring over online queries, some so complex that they require the level of medical expertise normally dispensed during an office visit.

(WTTW News)

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s also a time when heart attacks and strokes spike. Research shows heart attacks spike by 30% to 40% in the last two weeks of the year.

Roseland Hospital. (WTTW News)
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Under the leadership of CEO Tim Egan, Chicago’s Roseland Community Hospital has awarded business to his friends and acquaintances, employees have donated to his political funds and he has appeared in a campaign ad for the state’s comptroller.