Save the date Monday, June 2, 2025 Check In 11:30 a.m. | Shotgun Start 12:30 p.m. The Rail Golf Course 1400 S Club House Dr | Springfield, IL 62707 Registration, sponsorships and raffle tickets coming soon! SIU Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics invites you to The Rail Golf Course for another round of On Par for Pediatrics. Gather friends for an invigorating 18 holes, followed by a delicious dinner and prizes. The annual outing lets guests enjoy an afternoon on the links and support a great cause: The funds raised ease the financial burden of pediatric patients and their families, providing

In March, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a plan to transform health care in underserved communities, offering support to improve access and collaborations with the goal of greater equity. The State will invest $150 million using federal matching funds to fill health care gaps and focus on underlying health conditions in areas high on the CDC's social vulnerability index scale. These communities have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and are in areas served by critical access and safety-net hospitals, including rural parts of the state. The foundation for this

For Litchfield native Ed Wernsing, the nickname Big Ed just came naturally. "In high school, I was 6'4, 240lbs, and all of the kids would call me Big Ed." The 75-year-old Litchfield owner of Wernsing’s Appliance shares. Big Ed has a big personality to match his towering height. However, Big Ed started to see changes in his health that took a toll on his mobility and go get 'em attitude. Big Ed’s health had begun to decline slowly. Once a formidable powerhouse of strength easily capable of moving refrigerators and ovens across his showroom floor, he began to lose his ability to walk while his

For Litchfield native Ed Wernsing, the nickname Big Ed just came naturally. "In high school, I was 6'4, 240lbs, and all of the kids would call me Big Ed." The 75-year-old Litchfield owner of Wernsing’s Appliance shares. Big Ed has a big personality to match his towering height. However, Big Ed started to see changes in his health that took a toll on his mobility and go get 'em attitude. Big Ed’s health had begun to decline slowly. Once a formidable powerhouse of strength easily capable of moving refrigerators and ovens across his showroom floor, he began to lose his ability to walk while his

SIU School of Medicine will be closing its COVID-19 testing operation on March 30 as planned with the Sangamon County Department of Public Health (SCDPH). During the past 8 months, SIU conducted more than 38,000 tests of area residents, resulting in 35,093 negative findings and 2,359 positives, with a monthly average of 200 tests for children under 18. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the County to provide this critical community service in a time of crisis. SIU Medicine also wants to acknowledge Abundant Faith Christian Center and all other area congregations and community

SIU Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy, along with SIU Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development, SIU Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health is releasing a series of policy recommendations on the most pressing issues impacting rural health in Illinois. Webinars with statewide and rural Illinois leaders will accompany each brief to better explain the topic and how to best implement solutions. Webinar Dates: April 28, 2022 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Transforming the Health of Rural Illinois REGISTER HERE

Reports released by Southern Illinois University (SIU) Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy, SIU Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, and the SIU Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development provide a better understanding of the challenges rural and underserved communities have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each report addressing a different topic provides recommendations on how to build a healthier rural Illinois during and following the pandemic. *All links open as a PDF Overview Document

The following press releases describe the results of reports released by Southern Illinois University (SIU) Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy, SIU Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, and the SIU Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development. These reports describe how rural Illinois has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and recommendations on how to build brighter futures for those communities during and following the pandemic. Read More: Report, Webinar Focus on Impact of COVID-19 and the

Closing Care Gaps with Telehealth Expansion in Illinois A global pandemic has accelerated the use of telehealth services to keep patients healthy at home and to protect health care professionals on the front lines. Across the country, academic medical centers like SIU School of Medicine (SIU SOM) are using emergency, temporary rules for telehealth to reach medically underserved populations in small urban and rural areas in need of better health outcomes. Health disparities and care gaps for rural and underserved communities preceded COVID-19 and will remain when the crisis has ended. It’s time

Nathalie Foray, DO is a pulmonologist in SIU’s Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. She completed her residency and pulmonary medicine fellowship at Southern Illinois University in Springfield, IL and completed further subspeciality training in Critical Care Medicine at The University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis, TN. Upon graduating, she joined on as faculty at SIU. In addition to providing care in the intensive care setting, Dr. Foray also sees pulmonary patients in the outpatient setting. She treats a myriad of patients in pulmonary medicine, including but not