Melissa Ellin
ReporterMelissa Ellin is a reporter at WGLT and a Report for America corps member, focused on mental health coverage. You can reach Melissa at maelli5@ilstu.edu.
Melissa joined WGLT in 2023. Melissa graduated from Boston University. She previously reported for Boston.com and Metro West Daily News.
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The Baby Fold in Normal has served McLean County for over a century, and now, it’ll do so from an additional location in Bloomington called the Center of Excellence. The nonprofit will use the space at 1701 W. Market St. to host training surrounding trauma-informed care.
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County Board Chair Catherine Metsker said she thinks the county's behavioral health advisory group lacks structure, and she’s tackling the issue head-on. Her self-identified “ambitious goal” is to formalize policies and procedures for the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council — for the first time in its history — and she wants to get it done in under six months.
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Smaller health care businesses in Illinois have been waiting on insurance claim payments from Health Alliance — an insurance company based in Champaign and operated by Carle Health — for over a month, leaving some of these providers in an uncomfortable financial situation.
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Colin S. Simpson, 18, was arrested this week on nine charges, including attempted murder. He is accused of shooting two people last year in Normal.
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McLean County’s Director of Behavioral Health Coordination Kevin McCall announced his resignation Tuesday in an email to colleagues and WGLT. His last day is April 19, and the county is releasing an application for the position soon.
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Project Oz broke ground Thursday on its long-awaited building expansion that will make room for the Youth Education and Support Center that could open in as early as six months, CEO Lisa Thompson told WGLT. She added that groundwork is set to start next week.
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A Bloomington-based nonprofit and lead for a federal program geared toward ending homelessness missed a grant application deadline. Now, McLean County social services organizations are feeling the effects of missed funding opportunities.
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YWCA Stepping Stones in Bloomington outlined in its proposal that it will use the funds to hire a new counselor and continue paying for six months of a current staff member’s salary in the hope of bringing down a wait list that reached up to 65 people when the group recently lost annual federal funding it typically received.
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McLean County Board Chair Catherine Metsker suspended meetings for the behavioral health advisory committee. She's given little detail about what that might mean for committee members or the public. Here's what WGLT knows so far.
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A request for $100,000 in stopgap funding for YWCA McLean County's Stepping Stones has proved contentious, with multiple County Board meetings mired by discussing proper protocol and procedure. Despite this, two boards approved the proposal and the full County Board is set to vote on it Thursday.