External Relations Stories
Better Care Behind Bars
Corrections, SIU Medicine partner to improve health care delivery in state facilities
More than 76,000 Illinoisans live behind bars, and nearly 41,000 of those individuals call state prisons home. Like the more than 2.2 million justice-involved individuals in the United States, many suffer from a complex combination of anxiety, post-traumatic stress and a range of chronic health conditions, including hypertension and arthritis.
In an effort to improve health care delivery in correctional facilities and meet its mission, SIU School of Medicine is partnering with the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) to offer a “new approach to care” for justice-involved individuals.
Farm Family
Farm Family Resource Initiative offers new helpline
Area farmers who need someone to talk to about the everyday stresses of farming and pandemic-related challenges now have a new resource. A new helpline (1-833-FARM-SOS) will connect farmers to health professionals and services through the Farm Family Resource Initiative.
In addition to the helpline, the initiative offers ongoing outreach, education and training to rural partners working to improve the health and safety of farm families. Free webinars and trainings on psychological signs of stress and Mental Health First Aid offer program participants skill-building tools to meet the needs of rural clients and farmers.