Health and Medicine

A business group in McLean County has come up with a plan it says will save employers money on employee health care — not just in McLean County, but across the state.

A physician Chestnut Family Health Center in Bloomington is creating awareness about cervical cancer screenings among Hispanic women. He says the mortality rate for this type of cancer is high among this population.

The lawsuit with origins in Central Illinois involves shotgun shells and has nationwide implications.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood is voicing full-throated support for the massive Republican tax and spending bill, despite past opposition to Medicaid cuts and concern over the mounting federal budget deficit. LaHood represents parts of Bloomington-Normal.

Mifepristone, a drug used in medical abortion, has come under threat by the Trump administration in recent months. The widely used abortion bill is still legal. It survived a court challenge last year, but state Rep. Dagmara Avelar said she is concerned that reproductive health care remains under attack.

Canadian wildfire smoke has caused unhealthy air quality in Bloomington-Normal. The Ecology Action Center in Normal is recommending people stay indoors whenever possible.

Worker advocates said they fear the past is prologue as they discussed the history of corporate malfeasance in hiding the dangers of asbestos at a Bloomington plant.

Several service providers in Bloomington-Normal say proposed Medicaid cuts threaten health care locally. The U.S. House recently passed a measure that would slice $880 billion over the next decade.

A new flag, raising awareness about organ donation, now flies with the U.S. and Illinois state flags at the hospital in Normal.

In 10 other states, doctors are allowed to prescribe life-ending treatment for terminal patients. Illinois could become the 11th.