CORRECTIONS, SIU MEDICINE PARTNER TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE DELIVERY IN STATE FACILITIES by Lauren Crocks 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

by Richard Austin, MD "Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane….” On November 7, 2018, the NRA, in response to a position paper from the American College of Physicians, tweeted that doctors should stay in their lane when it comes to gun violence research. This tweet led to a massive response from not just physicians, but health care workers of all types as well as the general public. The majority felt that gun violence research was firmly in the lane of physicians. The fact is that gun violence is responsible for 36,000 deaths every year. Unfortunately, this

by Jan Hill-Jordan, PhD “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” - Arthur Ashe If an audience standing in a conference room is asked, “If you or anyone in your family was a victim of child abuse, sit down,” a few people would sit down. “If you know someone who was a victim or perpetrator of domestic violence, sit down” – a few more people would sit down. “Did a friend or family member commit suicide? Please sit down.” “If someone you know was murdered, sit.” Eventually, nearly everyone would be sitting. Experiences with violence are widespread and the impacts can devastate

TRAINING FOR TRAUMA & VIOLENCE AT WORK by Steve Sandstrom On an early Monday morning in March 2018, James Waymack, MD, was on his way to work at Taylorville Memorial Hospital. Waymack is the director of the emergency medicine residency program within SIU’s Department of Emergency Medicine, and on Mondays he accompanies a team of residents on a rural service rotation to a hospital 30 minutes east of Springfield. Nearing his exit, he was suddenly passed by three ambulances. Approaching the hospital, he found the parking lot teeming with police vehicles. Inside, emergency medicine director Rich

by Anneke Metz, PhD, Interim Director of MEDPREP All of us at MEDPREP (Medical/Dental Education Preparatory Program) were heartbroken to learn of the death of one of our own, Dr. Tamara O’Neal, who was a MEDPREP student from 2007-09. After MEDPREP, Tamara went on to complete her MD at the University of Illinois at Chicago, followed by a residency in emergency medicine. She was working as an emergency department physician at Mercy Hospital in Chicago at the time of her death. Dr. O’Neal, who was affectionately known at “TO” by her colleagues and friends, was beloved for her smile, her kindness

The American Dream includes visions of healthy pregnancies and access to equitable care for mothers. The history and experience of Black mothers in the United States continues to challenge the notion that this dream is accessible to all. By Jennifer Addo, MD, MPH Seven hundred women die each year in the United States from pregnancy-related complications. However, the risk of pregnancy-related deaths for Black women is 3 to 4 times higher than those of Caucasian women. This discrepancy is known as a health disparity. According to the National Academy of Sciences and the Centers for Disease

​In the U.S., giving life can be a matter of death. By Steve Sandstrom The current generation of new moms in America face a higher risk of dying during childbirth than their mothers did 25 years ago. About 700 American women die each year from pregnancy complications and about 70 percent of these deaths are preventable. Maternal morbidity (severe pregnancy complications) and mortality (death) are indicators of the overall health of a country, state or community. Among developed nations, the U.S. is one of 13 countries headed in the wrong direction, with a mortality rate comparable to Iraq and

In the last 10 years, SIU’s Fertility and IVF Center has become the preferred option for couples dealing with infertility. This spring, the center celebrated 10 years of helping couples start their families. In that time, the center has maintained a reputation for superior quality patient care and a state-of-the-art embryology laboratory. In 2016, Abbie and Mike Joyner of Sherman, Illinois, had hopes of conceiving a baby to start their family. After years of irregular cycles, one year of trying on their own, and six months of oral medications, cysts developed instead of healthy pregnancies