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.

Illinois regulators seek to suspend or revoke Dr. Cosmin Dobrescu’s license after a 2022 Alaska heart operation ended in a patient’s death. A hearing is set for March 31, 2026.

A 9-year-old suburban Chicago boy was burned when a popular NeeDoh squishy toy exploded after being microwaved; hospital staff say it’s at least the fourth such case this year.

A Northwestern‑led analysis of CARDIA data finds men’s cardiovascular risk accelerates around age 35; men hit a 5% incidence about seven years earlier than women. Researchers urge earlier screening and preventive care for men.

Chicago safety‑net hospitals say a federal reconciliation law could strip critical Medicaid funding, drive up uninsured numbers and force service and staffing changes.

Lurie Children’s said it will stop starting gender-affirming medications for new patients under 18 as federal scrutiny of pediatric transition care increases.

A new analysis ties a rare drop in deceased‑donor kidneys to shaken public confidence after federal probes. Local transplant groups say the dip could worsen waitlists.

A Bears fan survived a cardiac arrest at Soldier Field thanks to CPR from an ER doctor and a police officer attending the game. She later met her rescuers and emphasized the importance of CPR and AED training.