Log in

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE OF CHICAGO

  • 5 May 2022 5:34 PM | Deborah Hodges (Administrator)

    As of Wednesday, 799 Illinoisans were in the hospital with COVID-19, down 21 from Tuesday and up 85 from the prior week.

    Of the patients in the hospital, 81 were in intensive care units, down six from Tuesday and up seven from the prior week. Twenty-three percent of Illinois’ ICU beds were available, down 1 percentage point from the prior week. [Health News Illinois}

    There were 18 patients on ventilators, down four from Tuesday and down five from the prior week.

    Cook, Champaign, Douglas, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, Logan, McHenry, McLean, Sangamon, Will and Winnebago counties are rated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as having a “medium” COVID-19 community levels.

    IDPH reported 4,148 new COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths on Thursday. The new cases bring the state total to 3,161,606, while the death toll is 33,653.

    The seven-day average for new cases on Thursday was 4,189, up 912 from the prior week. The seven-day average for daily deaths is eight, up two from the prior week.

    The seven-day case rate per 100,000 people is 32.4, up 7.2 from the prior week.

    About 81.5 percent of eligible Illinoisans ages 5 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 73.1 percent are fully vaccinated.

    Illinois vaccinators have administered 21,998,768 COVID-19 vaccines, including 4,409,675 booster doses. The seven-day average for doses administered is 14,050.

    ###


  • 4 May 2022 8:01 AM | Deborah Hodges (Administrator)

    Executive Summary -Main Points- Maternal and Neonatal Birth Outcomes

    • Maternal participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) may be associated with a lower likelihood of inadequate gestational weight gain (Strength of evidence [SOE]: Low), lower alcohol use in pregnancy (SOE: Low), no difference in smoking during or after pregnancy (SOE: Low), no difference in perinatal death overall (SOE: Low), and lower risk of stillbirth in Black women (SOE: Low).
    • Maternal WIC participation during pregnancy is likely to be associated with lower risk of preterm birth and lower risk of low birth weight infants (SOE: Moderate).
    • The evidence was insufficient to determine whether maternal WIC participation was associated with decreased neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stays.

    Full 1685 page here> 

    ###


  • 3 May 2022 2:29 PM | Deborah Hodges (Administrator)

    Washington is the best state to work as a nurse and Oklahoma is the worst, according to an analysis by WalletHub, a personal finance website. [Becker's Health Review 5.3.2022]

    To determine the best and worst states for nurses, analysts used 21 metrics to compare states across two dimensions: opportunity and competition, and work environment. Metrics include average annual salary for nurses, healthcare facilities per capita, mandatory overtime restrictions and nurses job growth. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, and states were ranked from highest overall score to lowest. Read more about the methodology here.   

    Here are the 10 best states to work as a nurse based on the analysis:

    1. Washington

    2. Maine

    3. New Mexico

    4. Minnesota

    5. New Hampshire

    6. Oregon

    7. Arizona

    8. Montana

    9. Rhode Island

    10. Connecticut

    Here are the 10 worst states to work as a nurse based on the analysis:

    1. Oklahoma

    2. Alabama

    3. Hawaii

    4. Arkansas

    5. Mississippi

    6. Louisiana

    7. Tennessee

    8. South Carolina

    9. Georgia

    10. Kansas

    ###


  • 2 May 2022 12:00 PM | Deborah Hodges (Administrator)

    Evusheld is an investigational medicine that can help protect you from getting COVID-19. You may be eligible for Evusheld if you:

    • Are moderately or severely immunocompromised and may not mount an adequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination OR have a history of severe allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines, and
    • Do not currently have COVID-19 and have not recently had close contact with someone with COVID-19, and
    • Are an adult or adolescent ages 12 years and older weighing at least 88 pounds (40 kg).

    Evusheld contains two different antibodies that can help prevent COVID-19. It must be given by your healthcare provider before exposure to COVID-19. More>

    ###



  • 29 Apr 2022 9:41 AM | Deborah Hodges (Administrator)

    On his first designed Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. The Order recognized that although the ideal of equal opportunity is the bedrock of American democracy, entrenched disparities in our laws, public policies, and institutions too often deny equal opportunity to individuals and communities.  The President’s Order emphasized the enormous human costs of systemic racism, persistent poverty, and other disparities, and directed the Federal Government to advance an ambitious whole-of-government equity agenda that matches the scale of the challenges we face as a country and the opportunities we have to build a more perfect union Full article> 

    ###

  • 28 Apr 2022 11:47 AM | Deborah Hodges (Administrator)

    Starting this week, the Administration will allow all pharmacies in the federal pharmacy program to order free oral antiviral treatments directly from the federal government, the White House announced today. The Administration hopes to double the number of participating pharmacies to 40,000 in the coming weeks, and to launch new Test-to-Treat locations that offer the Pfizer and Merck pills, which the Food and Drug Administration authorized in December to treat COVID-19 in patients at risk of progressing to severe disease. Pharmacies also can continue to receive the pills through their state or territorial health department. The Administration said it is working to improve the Test-to-Treat patient experience, including through telehealth options; and to provide more guidance on COVID-19 treatments to prescribers and clinicians. [AHA 4.26.2022]

    ###
     

  • 27 Apr 2022 11:41 AM | Deborah Hodges (Administrator)

    Chicago's top doctor said Tuesday she's pleased with the city's current position with COVID-19.(Health News Illinois]

    Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said that cases are increasing at a gradual level, but local hospitals and providers still have plenty of capacity. Severe illnesses and deaths remain near pandemic lows.

    “COVID is not gone, – and may never be gone – but I remain pleased with Chicago’s current position at this stage of the pandemic,” she said.

    The seven-day average for new daily cases in Chicago is 616, up 26 percent from the prior week. The city is averaging 12 daily COVID-related hospitalizations, the same as the prior week.

    Statewide, hospitalizations and cases continue their increase.

    As of Monday, 708 Illinoisans were in the hospital with COVID-19, up 20 from Sunday and up 142 from the prior week.

    Of the patients in the hospital, 94 were in intensive care units, up 17 from Sunday and up 21 from the prior week. Twenty-four percent of Illinois’ ICU beds were available, up 1 percentage point from the prior week.

    There were 33 patients on ventilators, up 10 from Sunday and down three from the prior week.

    Four Illinois counties, Champaign, DuPage, McLean and Piatt, are rated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as having a “medium” risk of community spread.

    The state Department of Public Health reported 2,509 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths on Tuesday. The new cases bring the state total to 3,124,700, while the death toll is 33,584.

    The seven-day average for new cases on Tuesday was 3,141, up 849 from the prior week. The seven-day average for daily deaths is seven, the same as the prior week.

    The seven-day case rate per 100,000 people is 24.7, up 6.7 from the prior week.

    About 81.3 percent of eligible Illinoisans ages 5 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 72.9 percent are fully vaccinated.

    Illinois vaccinators have administered 21,812,955 COVID-19 vaccines, including 4,375,365 booster doses. The seven-day average for doses administered is 16,728.

       ###


  • 26 Apr 2022 9:40 AM | Deborah Hodges (Administrator)

    An initiative to boost the health and economic prosperity of 18 south and west side Chicago neighborhoods made significant progress in hiring area residents, according to a recent report.

    The report by the Chicago Hospital Engagement, Action, and Leadership Initiative, launched in 2018 by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and a coalition of 10 hospitals, found those organizations hired an annual average of 3,535 individuals from the underserved neighborhoods, a 21 percent increase from 2018.

    Additionally, the report found that 3,571 hospital staff were trained to screen patients for social determinants of health needs, a 242 percent increase since 2018, and an annual average of 4,212 victims of violence received post-injury trauma recovery services, a 130 percent increase from 2018.

    Work was also done to improve the workforce pipeline in those underserved communities, with 4,921 high school and college students from those neighborhoods participating in workforce development programs in 2021, a 28 percent increase from 2018.

    “Despite normally being competitors in the healthcare sector, these hospitals banded together to engage their communities and address the root causes of violence,” Durbin said in a statement. “I’ve been proud to work with them and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association and I believe the activities and commitments of these hospitals provides a roadmap that will continue to make a difference across Chicago and beyond.”

    Durbin also announced last week that nearly $5.8 million in federal funds will head to organizations in Chicago that are working to address community mental health, housing, job training and violence prevention.

    Illinois Health and Hospital Association CEO A.J. Wilhelmi said they're committed to continuing the work of the initiative.

     “It's about changing lives," he said in a statement.

    ###

  • 25 Apr 2022 4:38 PM | Deborah Hodges (Administrator)

    Eight Democratic members of Illinois’ congressional delegation joined 76 other colleagues last week to urge leadership to prioritize maternal health in a future spending bill. [Health News Illinois 4.25.2022]

    In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the House members said investments are needed to address the nation's maternal health crisis.

    Requested provisions include permanent yearlong Medicaid coverage of postpartum services in every state with full state plan benefits and investing hundreds of millions of dollars in programs that allow states to provide coordinated maternity care services, address social determinants of maternal health and grow and diversify the perinatal health workforce.

    “These evidence-based investments center (on) the families most severely impacted by our nation’s maternal health crisis, and the provisions were shaped by women of color and local organizations that are on the ground in communities across the country, doing urgently important work to support pregnant people and new parents,” the letter said.

    Signees included U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly, D-Matteson; Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville; Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Schaumburg; Danny Davis, D-Chicago; Mike Quigley, D-Chicago; Bobby Rush, D-Chicago; Marie Newman, D-La Grange; and Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston.

    Budget reconciliation allows Congress to make changes to spending and revenue with a majority vote, bypassing the 60-vote threshold needed to override a filibuster in the Senate.

    ###


  • 22 Apr 2022 10:05 AM | Deborah Hodges (Administrator)

    Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center.

    About 30% of COVID-19 patients developed the condition known as long COVID, UCLA researchers said in a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. [Medscape 4.21.2022]

    The UCLA researchers studied 1,038 people enrolled in the UCLA COVID Ambulatory Program between April 2020 and February 2021. Researchers found that 309 of them developed long COVID.

    A long COVID diagnosis came if a patient answering a questionnaire reported persistent symptoms 60-90 days after they were infected or hospitalized. The most persistent symptoms were fatigue (31%) and shortness of breath (15%) in hospitalized participants. Among outpatients, 16% reported losing sense of smell.

    Full article here> 

    ###

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software