Carle BroMenn Hospital

The winter storm that arrived on Thursday could strain Bloomington-Normal hospitals that already are close to capacity.

Health experts have identified access to care, mental health and healthy living as priorities in McLean County's new community needs health assessment. The plan is based on health data compiled over the last several years.

The Normal Town Council on Monday will consider a joint funding agreement for the Uptown underpass project. The agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation covers development of a detailed construction design and formalizes part of a grant-supported funding scenario approved by the council in July 2021.

We all get cuts and scrapes, but for a lot of people those injuries may not heal. And the longer a wound stays open, the higher the risk of infection. More than eight million people in the U.S. suffer chronic wounds each year, costing $98 billion a year to treat.

Since the masks came off most of society, a lot of people have been coughing, sneezing and getting aches and fever. And that's not counting those who get COVID-19. Last year, flu was almost non-existent. Lockdowns, masks, and other pandemic precautions meant people didn't make each other sick.

Like so many things, the practice of chaplaincy as it is typically understood was roadblocked by COVID mitigation measures. To avoid the spread of the virus, visitors were limited, personal protective equipment, scarce at first, was required, along with social distancing — all of which hamper a chaplain's ability to "show up and be there."

The head of emergency care at Carle BroMenn Medical Center in Normal says it appears the winter storm kept more people away from the hospital.

The latest COVID-19 surge is pushing hospitals like Carle BroMenn Medical Center to the brink.

The chief medical officer at Carle BroMenn and Carle Eureka hospitals says he doesn't see COVID-19 ever going away, but Dr. Jim Nevin says treatments will hopefully make it more manageable over time.

As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rise again, health care workers feel the stress of a pandemic that's nearly 18 months old and shows no signs of ending.