Chicago STI rates double and triple national averages
By Talia Beechick and Madison Hopkins Diverse sexual trends called “sexual sorting” may be driving Chicago’s young adults to some of the highest sexually transmitted infection rates in the country. Chicagoans are twice as likely to have chlamydia and nearly three times more likely to have gonorrhea than residents of other areas in the U.S., […]
Overprescribed and underfunded: Illinois’ surge in overdose deaths
By Jack Adams, Talia Beechick and Madison Hopkins Chris Nielsen’s future looked bright. A senior in high school, he played catcher on his school’s baseball team in a Chicago suburb and was offered a full scholarship to play the sport at Michigan State University. But at age 17, after his first knee surgery, he was […]
Hospitalization due to diabetes on the rise on South and West sides
By Talia Beechick Hospitalization due to diabetes is on the rise on Chicago’s South and West sides, according to newly released data from the Chicago Public Health Department. Altgeld Gardens and Hegewisch saw the highest increase, with only 20 hospitalizations due to diabetes in 2000, and 139 by 2011, according to the data, the most […]
Women warriors have special health needs, researchers report
Women veterans are more at risk for lower life satisfaction, lung cancer, cognitive decline and hip fractures than non-veteran women, the Women’s Health Initiative reported in a new study. The initiative published the study in the current issue of The Gerontologist just two months after the Obama administration announced all military roles will be open […]
Painting a picture: Art can help people cope with Parkinson’s , Alzheimer’s
By Talia Beechick When Renee Le Verrier saw her first-grade son Pedro paint for the first time 10 years ago, she decided to give it a try, despite recently having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. “I watched him fill the page, no concern for whether it ‘looked right,’ but with abandon to the process – […]
Chicago’s soda tax debate bubbles over
By Talia Beechick Sweetened beverage sales decreased in Mexico by 12 percent after the country added an extra tax for the products, reigniting the debate in Chicago on the proposed “soda tax” before the City Council. Mexico’s tax on sugar-sweetened drinks also spurred increased sales of untaxed beverages such as bottled water, according to a […]
