Winnebago County says ticks tested positive for the rare Powassan virus; officials urge repellents, long clothing and careful tick checks as spring arrives.

Vista Medical Center East pledged roughly $2 million to redeem past-due property taxes after a tax buyer threatened foreclosure. The payment would pause a legal fight that could affect local services and taxing districts.

Lurie Children’s analysis finds emergency triage can misclassify children in mental‑health crises, contributing to unsafe discharges and long waits for psychiatric beds.

Food & Water Watch mapping shows counties that spray the most glyphosate often have higher late‑stage non‑Hodgkin lymphoma rates, concentrated in the Upper Midwest.

Chicago health officials say RSV activity is unusually high for mid‑March and are weighing extended infant immunizations as ER visits and wastewater signals climb.

A new MESA analysis finds that each extra daily serving of ultraprocessed food modestly raises cardiovascular risk, with the biggest effects seen in Black participants. The findings are reported in JACC: Advances.

Contract talks between Prime Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois could push eight Chicago-area hospitals out‑of‑network, risking higher bills for many patients.

Chicago nursing programs are expanding labs, hiring adjunct faculty and striking hospital partnerships to open more seats as national data show thousands of qualified applicants were turned away.

Jury selection starts this week in Cook County as four lawsuits accuse Abbott’s preterm formulas of causing NEC. The trial could affect hundreds of related cases.

County surveillance found 109 of 230 deer ticks tested positive for Lyme, prompting renewed prevention advice as outdoor season ramps up.

A $5M Pritzker Traubert grant will fund HealthCatalyst Chicago, a Cook County Health and City Colleges partnership to train and place 1,000 Chicagoans in health jobs. Local officials say the program could reduce staffing agency use and expand steady career paths.

Deaconess Illinois broke ground on a Marion EMS hub that will centralize interfacility transfers, house ambulances and crew quarters, and aim to cut long transfer waits across Southern Illinois.

Community gardens, a neighborhood market and local coalitions are part of a grassroots push to narrow a roughly 20-year life-expectancy gap between West Garfield Park and the Loop.