Grab your ticket - 30 days to the 2025 Leadership Awards. Join us in honoring LaRabida Children's Hospital with the 2025 Innovation in Health Care Delivery Award! June 26, 2025-open to all>

than 90% of patients are insured through Medicaid and Medicaid Managed Care. The hospital treats all patients,regardless of financial circumstances.

La Rabida’s Behavioral Health and Community Programs are making a profound impact throughout Cook County, offering critical mental health services to children and families affected by trauma. La Rabida is a leader in advancing mental health initiatives in Illinois. The team’s focus is centered around trauma-informed care.

Attend the 2025 Leadership Awards to learn more about their achievements, offer congratulations, and meet the other award recipients. This event brings together advocates, academic institutions, healthcare leaders, and community centers.

For more details and to register, visit this page>

The Institute of Medicine of Chicago will award Dr. LaMenta Conway, MD, MPH, the 2025 IOMC Award for Public Service for her leadership with the I Am Abel Foundation. This honor will be presented at the 2025 Leadership Awards & Annual Meeting on June 26, 2025, at Maggianos-Chicago. The event is open to all and unites healthcare advocates, academic institutions, medical organizations, and community partners. More details and to register here>

Dr. Conway is a board-certified physician who is trained in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. She graduated from Rush University Medical College and trained at the University of Illinois. With over 22 years of clinical experience and a transformative legacy of community service, she stands as an e x t r a o r d i n a r y candidate for the IOMC Award for Public Service.

Her leadership extends far beyond the clinic. As Deputy Chief of Medicine for the Illinois Department of Corrections, Dr. Conway oversees the healthcare of more than 30,000 incarcerated individuals—demonstrating both technical excellence and a deep humanitarian commitment. Yet, her greatest impact may lie outside institutional walls. Following the devastating loss of two young family members to gun violence, Dr. Conway channeled grief into action by founding the I AM ABEL Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to mentoring underrepresented youth in Chicago who aspire to careers in medicine, STEM, and service.

Through this mission, she has:
● Mentored hundreds of students via one-on-one physician pairings, academic advising, and leadership training.
● Led clinical and global health immersion programs in Haiti, Costa Rica, and Cuba.
● Established the Urban Bridges Medical Mentoring Pipeline Program, one of the Midwest’s most comprehensive, community-based physician pipeline initiatives.
● Launched the Chicago Health, Medical & Law Conference, now in its 8th year, which has provided thousands of students with exposure to healthcare professions and hands-on experiences.

The I Am Abel Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) Chicago-area non-profit organization incorporated in 2015, whose mission is to identify, engage, and curate the large pool of untapped gifts, talent, and intellect among inner-city youth.

You can learn more about Dr. Conway and our leadership award recipients at the event. Grab a ticket now- visit this page> 

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Here are 10 new shortages and discontinuations, according to drug supply databases from the FDA and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.  [Beckers Hospital Review]

Editor’s note: The drugs listed are in alphabetical order.

Cholestyramine powder: Upsher-Smith Laboratories has discontinued the 4g/5.5g powder presentations of cholestyramine, used to lower cholesterol and treat certain cardiovascular conditions, due to a business decision.
Conjugated estrogens injection: Pfizer’s Premarin 25mg lyophilized powder vials, used for hormone replacement therapy, is in shortage due to manufacturing delays. No resupply date is available.

Imatinib acetate tablets: Several manufacturers, including Major, Strides Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Upsher-Smith Laboratories, have reported shortages of imatinib tablets, used in oncology for chromic myeloid leukemia and other cancers. Apotex estimates resupply in late 2025, Teva anticipates a release of early to mid-July and Upsher-Smith has tablets on allocation for primary customers. Alternative products such as Novartis’ Gleevec and Mylan remain available.

Megestrol acetate tablets: Major, Strides Pharma and Teva Pharmaceuticals have placed megestrol acetate, used to treat loss of appetite and weight loss in cancer and AIDS patients, on back order with no current resupply dates provided.

Minocycline hydrochloride capsule: Teva Pharmaceuticals has discontinued the 75 mg capsule presentation of minocycline hydrochloride, an antibiotic used for bacterial infections, for business reasons.
Nortiptyline hydrochloride capsule: Teva Pharmaceuticals has discontinued the 75 mg capsule of Nortiptyline Hydrochloride, used for psychiatry, due to business reasons.

Oxybutynin chloride tablet: Upsher-Smith Laboratories discontinued all 5 mg tablet presentations used to treat overactive bladder and other renal-related conditions.

Phenytoin oral suspension: Mylan and Sun Pharma report shortages of 125 mg/mL oral suspensions, used as an anticonvulsant to prevent seizures. No resupply dates are available. Alternative Dilantin 125 suspension remains available.

Potassium chloride capsule, extended release: Used to treat potassium deficiency related to endocrine/metabolic and gastrointestinal conditions. Teva Pharmaceuticals has discontinued all extended release capsules in 600 mg and 750 mg strengths.

Propafenone hydrochloride capsule, extended release: Upsher-Smith Laboratories discontinued all extended release 225 mg, 325 mg and 425 mg capsules, used in cardiovascular treatments to manage arrhythmias, based on a business decision.

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The CDC no longer recommends that healthy children and pregnant women receive routine COVID-19 vaccinations, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said May 27. [Beckers Clinical Leadership]

The CDC removed COVID-19 vaccines from its recommended immunization schedule for these populations, effective immediately. The agency had previously recommended vaccination for everyone six months and older.

“Bottom line: it’s common sense and it’s good science,” Mr. Kennedy wrote in a May 27 post on X. “We are now one step closer to realizing @POTUS’s promise to Make America Healthy Again.”

The move comes a week after the FDA shared a new regulatory framework for COVID-19 vaccine approvals that could limit access to updated shots this fall for healthy individuals under age 65. Boosters are still expected to be available for adults 65 and older, as well as individuals over six months old with at least one underlying condition that increases their risk of complications. 

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The House approved a proposal Wednesday night that lays the groundwork for the implementation of universal mental health screenings in Illinois public schools. [Health News Illinois] 

The plan from Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, D-Chicago, tasks the Illinois State Board of Education to work with the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative and other stakeholders on resource materials, which will be made available to schools by September 2026.

The materials will include model procedures and guidance to help school districts implement universal mental health screening in schools by the 2027-2028 school year. 

Specifically, the materials will address options for parents, guardians and students to opt out of screenings. It will also address confidentiality and privacy considerations, how to communicate to families and communities about the use of mental health screenings, storage of mental health screening results and connecting individuals to resources after screenings.

School districts will offer screenings at least once a year to students starting in the third grade.

LaPointe said the proposal is the latest in a series from the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative, which aims to address the youth mental health crisis.

She stressed that the screenings are a tool that districts can use to discern if youths are at risk and if they have deeper behavioral health issues and to get them access to treatment.

“The work to get to universal mental health screening in Illinois has been incremental,” LaPointe said. “It has been thoughtful. Dare I say it's been slow... but there's a reason for that because we want to get it right.”

Republicans decried the bill, calling it government overreach that did not give parents enough information or input on their children's health.

“This is a very dangerous piece of legislation that removes parental rights,” Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich.

The proposal, which passed the Senate last month, heads to Gov. JB Pritzker for final approval.

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Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna must carry expanded warning labels informing patients of the risk of rare heart inflammation. The FDA is also cracking down on off-brand GLP-1 drugs. Other administration news reports on RFK Jr. and the fallout from health funding cuts.[KFF Health News & CNN]

CNN: FDA Requires Covid Vaccine Makers To Expand Warning About Risk Of Rare Heart Inflammation The US Food and Drug Administration will now require Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna to use expanded warning labels with more information about the risk of a rare heart condition after vaccination. (Christensen, 5/21)

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Revised FDA guidelines also require placebo testing on updated covid vaccines. The new plan has pediatricians concerned for young ones in their care, but one MAHA influencer says the new rules aren't restrictive enough. [KFF Health News] 

The New York Times: F.D.A. Poised To Restrict Access To Covid Vaccines The Food and Drug Administration will permit use of Covid vaccines by adults over 65 and those with certain medical conditions in the fall, but may require additional studies before approving the shots for healthy Americans younger than 65, agency officials said on Tuesday. At this point, the additional doses offer “uncertain” benefits to many young and middle-aged people who have already been vaccinated or have had Covid, Dr. Vinay Prasad, the F.D.A.’s vaccine division chief, and Dr. Martin Makary, the agency’s commissioner, wrote in The New England Journal of Medicine. (Jewett and Mandavilli, 5/20)

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The overall rate of new cancers in the U.S. has been stable in recent years. And age-adjusted death rates have, on average, been falling. But some recent studies have spotted a troubling trend that points to increased cancer diagnoses among younger people. Analyses have found an uptick in early-onset cancers—that is, cancers that occur before age 50—in the U.S. and other countries. The underlying factors that might lead to this rise in early cancer have been unclear. Proposed causes have included increased rates of obesity and better detection through higher rates of cancer screening. [NIH] 

To better understand these apparent changes in cancer rates among different age groups, a research team led by Dr. Meredith Shiels of NIH’s National Cancer Institute examined two large nationwide datasets. These included mortality data from national death certificate information and cancer registry data representing the entire U.S. population. Most previous studies of early-onset cancers looked only at subsets of data from U.S. states and did not include comparison data from older age groups. 

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Illinois is projected to have a shortage of over 6,200 doctors by 2030, but a law that took effect this year cuts regulations and will help foreign-educated doctors start treating patients sooner. [Illinois Policy] 

Inequitable occupational licensing laws are a barrier to economic opportunity in Illinois across a broad range of vocations. A staggering 24.7% of Illinoisans need an occupational license – essentially a government-issued permission slip – to work the job of their choice while another 5% require workforce certification.

These regulatory obstacles hurt Illinois’ economy, including an estimated 135,000 lost jobs and $15.1 billion in misallocated resources. They also resulted in Illinoisans being unable to access medical care, at least until the licensing law passed in 2023 took effect this year.

Senate Bill 1298, championed by state Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, amended the Medical Practice Act of 1987 to allow foreign-trained doctors to apply for a limited license. The limited license allows foreign-trained doctors to practice in Illinois for two years under supervision in an area with underserved populations or “unmet medical needs.” After two years, the doctors receive a provisional license that allows them to practice independently under limited supervision for another two years. Afterwards, if in good standing, doctors receive a full, unrestricted medical license to work in Illinois.

This much-needed change addresses a severe doctor shortage in Illinois. It also extends opportunity to a greater number of qualified medical practitioners. The Migration Policy Institute finds Illinois among the states most dramatically underusing immigrant talent, both foreign- and U.S.-educated, to shore up health care personnel shortages.

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In Chicago, there is no coherent system to identify and help a small subset of severely mentally ill, violent people who cycle through jail, prison and hospitals without regular treatment for their conditions. The first in a six-part investigation by the Sun-Times looks at past cases and what would be needed to prevent them from happening again. [Chicago Sun-Times} 

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