Illinois

As the climate warms, armadillos march north, forcing Midwestern communities to adjust to an unexpected newcomer.

Being a veterinarian and helping animals can bring a lot of joy. But the job also comes with a host of stressors that can affect veterinarians mental health, and the field is starting to have more conversations about it.

Untreated mental health cost Indiana $4.2 billion in 2019. The state has adopted a new law in an attempt to make it more accessible. But many people still endure barriers to seeking treatment.

The nitrate standard was set decades ago to prevent methemoglobinemia, also known as blue baby syndrome –– a rare blood disorder that affects how blood cells deliver oxygen. Even so, it is common for farming communities across the Midwest to have elevated levels of nitrate that still meet federal standards.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers agree: Medicare and Medicaid are failing 12 million of the country's most vulnerable patients.

A new service added to the 988 Lifeline will offer suicide prevention and mental health crisis counseling through American Sign Language for people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing without the need for an interpreter.

State departments of health across the region have taken some action and issued advisories as the synthetic drug-involved overdose death toll has risen in recent years.

Pregnant people struggling with addiction fear mistreatment from health care providers and worry about the possibility that they'll lose custody of their baby.

While COVID may not be top of mind for people anymore, the pandemic isn't over. And for many people who have had COVID, neither is their illness.

In Illinois, providers hope the Living Room model will help fill the gap in mental health services, as the nations new mental health crisis number, 988, rolls out this month.