UIC, UIS, Memorial Health System Partnership Aiming to Fix Nursing Shortage

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS) — A partnership between University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Springfield and Memorial Health System is aiming to fix a local nursing shortage.

We're told there are hundreds of nurses needed in central Illinois hospitals and their importance cannot be overlooked.

Nurses are the unsung heroes of the hospital. They provide 90 percent of patients’ needs.

University of Illinois Springfield students will start the spring semester Jan. 18 in-person as planned while two University of Illinois campuses will start the spring semester with remote learning.

All UIS faculty, staff and students, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, will be required to undergo COVID-19 testing once they return to campus, UIS interim chancellor Karen Whitney announced in a campus letter.

A new bill filed in the Illinois House of Representatives on Monday calls for college tuition to be covered for future police officers, but there are strict requirements.

It’s a similar model to that of the military.

The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation (ILBCF) and University of Illinois Springfield will convene its fourth speaker series session which will be on ILBCF's Pillar III, which focuses on eliminating the Black community's barriers to economic access, equity and opportunity.

Jeff Lorber, Vice Chancellor for Advancement at the University of Illinois Springfield and Vice-President of the U of I Foundation, shares information on the university's Reaching Stellar campaign and how donors impact all aspects of university life in the latest edition of UIS Perspectives in The State Journal-Register.

The article was published on Dec. 5, 2021.

Chips, candy, and maybe soon, contraceptives.

A new bill filed in the Illinois House aims to increase access to emergency contraceptive pills for students.

It would require at least one vending machine on public college or university campuses to offer emergency contraceptives as an option.

A spokesperson for the University of Illinois Springfield says emergency contraceptives are available there if you make an appointment with UIS Health Services.

Lauren Ladowski has always been a premier point guard on the University of Illinois Springfield women’s basketball team.  

This year is no exception.  

The junior standout currently leads the Prairie Stars in scoring for the fourth straight season. She not only averages 16.6 points but also 5.8 assists, 3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the ability of government and public health officials to effectively communicate complex COVID-19 information to a diverse public audience. At the same time, multiple other common sources of information (and misinformation) have caused confusion and mistrust of official messaging. Expert panelists discuss the roles of public health officials, mainstream and social media, and efforts to counter misinformation throughout the population.

This Community Health Roundtable aired on NPR Illinois on Dec. 13, 2021.

The University of Illinois Springfield UNI 101 class worked with the Community Voices team in the fall of 2021 to put together podcasts examining Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter From Birmingham Jail" from an ethos, logos and pathos perspective.

This recording aired on NPR Illinois on Nov. 23, 2021.

Listen to the recording online.

The University of Illinois Springfield men’s soccer team has the most wins in school history since moving up to the NCAA Division-II level in 2009.  

They now have a bigger goal in mind — reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.