Articles tagged with 'COVID19' | OSF HealthCare

The headlines grabbed your attention: drug overdose deaths spiked dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the acting head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Regina LaBelle, 88,000 people in the U.S. died from a ...

New research has found that nearly one person in five diagnosed with COVID-19 also suffers with a psychiatric disorder such as anxiety, depression or insomnia within three months. Sam Sears, MD, director of physician services for OSF Behavioral Healt...

Many people who are COVID weary and fully vaccinated might be a little disappointed by the latest guidelines from the federal government but one OSF HealthCare leader supports the cautious approach.Stephen Hippler, M.D. is the chief clinical officer ...

Despite the availability of free routine immunizations for low-income families through a federal program, many children are not vaccinated, vaccinated late for their age, or don’t complete the course of the immunization schedule. OSF HealthCare wants...

Safety data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines are rare – including the most severe – anaphylaxis shock – which occurred in 2 to 5 people for every one million doses of the Pfizer v...

Peoria, Illinois-based OSF HealthCare is proud to have four hospitals recognized as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) Blue Distinction® Centers (BDC) for Maternity Care designation. OSF HealthCare St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg, St. J...

Lisabeth Pongracz has been helping to manage one of the COVID-19 vaccination clinics operated by OSF HealthCare across its 14 locations throughout Illinois and the UP of Michigan.The days may be long, but the appreciation is immeasurable.“I’ve never ...

Model Naomi Campbell recently talked about how she wears goggles while travelling on airplanes because you can catch COVID-19 through your eyes. Technically, she is correct according to Lori Grooms, OSF HealthCare director of Infection Control and Pr...

Thirteen research projects are sharing nearly $970,000 in funding through the Jump ARCHES research and development program. The Jump Applied Research for Community Health through Engineering and Simulation (Jump ARCHES) program is a partnership betwe...

Implementing safe, secure and easy-to-use telehealth solutions is becoming increasingly important, especially as rural hospitals strive to provide expert care with limited resources. Hospitals face challenges to adopting new technology, but recent co...

Suicide and addiction were the two biggest factors bringing down the average life expectancy in the U.S. before the pandemic and it’s only gotten worse with the need for physical distancing and closures of public places. COVID-19 mitigation efforts h...

A recent report by AARP found that fewer than 1% of Americans live in long-term care facilities, but 40% of COVID-19 deaths have occurred there. The report details a multitude of reasons why this has happened, especially in the early days of the pand...

The room erupted in applause after the first COVID-19 vaccine was given to an OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center critical care advanced practice nurse in Bloomington, Illinois Friday afternoon.Kristin Wilkins, APRN, APN Pulmonology, works with ...

Teenagers are more comfortable reaching out to each other, rather than the adults in their lives because they feel their peers are more likely to understand what they’re going through, according to high school senior Catherine Fuller. Fuller attends ...

The phrase “emergency use authorization” is becoming part of our talk about COVID-19 vaccines that are awaiting final government approval for distribution. But, what constitutes emergency use?Sandy Salverson, vice president of Pharmacy Operations for...

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased levels of stress and anxiety for many. Count health care workers among that group. They are reporting significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and concern about their own health.Health care worker...

For some families, the holidays are the only time of the year they see extended family, so the idea of skipping the trip this year can be a hard decision and it can make for a difficult conversation.OSF HealthCare Behavioral Health Director Luke Raym...

OSF HealthCare is joining 100 of the nation’s top health care systems, representing thousands of hospitals in communities across the U.S. with an urgent plea for all Americans to mask up, because wearing a face mask is our best chance at slowing the ...

Even before the first cases of COVID-19 hit the United States, leaders in medical education at the Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria (UICOMP) and at OSF HealthCare’s Jump Education and Simulation Center in Peoria were preparing better ways to te...

Travel writer Mark Gauert recently wrote, “It’ll be awhile before we travel the way we used to again; back when people wanted to know where we’d been, what we’d seen and what we’d done – not the precautions we took when we were there.” Gauert’s fr...

Most of us are keeping homes, apartments or condos a little cleaner these days to prevent spreading COVID-19, but more cleaning does not always result in smart practices. In fact, a study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found t...

A 67 year-old man shows up at his local hospital’s emergency department and he’s in a bad way. He has end stage kidney disease and his potassium levels are out of control. In many rural communities, the local hospital doesn’t have a dialysis machine....

You might have seen the hundreds of Tik Tok social media videos featuring alcohol and funny lip synced monologues about drinking but a new study finds a sobering reality about a massive uptick in alcohol consumption.Results of new research published ...

In mid-September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) caused a bit of a hubbub when it posted new guidance on how the COVID-19 virus is transmitted, only to abruptly pull it back a couple of days later. The questionable guidance s...

“It is very scary and it is very real.” That’s how recovering COVID-19 patient Steve Looney of Kewanee reflects on his journey when he was diagnosed just three days after his wife tested positive.The 57 year-old Looney is a healthy, active guy. He to...

Nationwide, the number of new daily COVID-19 infections continues to rise, spanning every region of the country. It has even reached the highest levels of government with the announcement that the president and first lady have contracted the virus. ...

As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread around the globe, researchers have been hot on its heels, seeing what makes it tick. Among the things they are on the lookout for are any mutations in the genetic make-up of the virus. One mutation that recently re...

If you believe the old adage ‘the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach,’ you might consider this –the stomach also provides a direct route to their brain, or more specifically their mood. Comfort foods might make us feel good for a moment,...

What started as an at-home option to keep kids learning the arts and sciences over the summer has expanded into an on-demand option as students return to school either virtually or in-person. A new series of STEAM at Home programs from Jump Tradin...

As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s almost time for flu season, which typically runs from October through March. Every year in the United States, upwards of 10-percent of the population gets influenza. That’s roughly 30 million peo...