Report: COVID-19 Widens Disparities in Rural Illinois, Recommends Rural Health Improvements Illinois Rural Health Summit Organizers Convened Discussion Forums, Authored Report March 30, 2021 (Springfield, IL) - A new report 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 found that the pandemic has negatively impacted preexisting health disparities in rural Illinois as

The Regional Cancer Partnership of Illinois will distribute free colorectal cancer home screening test kits on several dates and locations during March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, to raise awareness about colorectal cancer. FIT kits, or Fecal Immunochemical Tests are a test kit requiring one specimen, compared to fecal occult blood tests which require three on three separate days. FIT kits do not substitute for a colonoscopy, which is the best method to detect colorectal cancer. The test kits can detect the presence of blood, which can be an indicator of several different medical

The Regional Cancer Partnership of Illinois will distribute free colorectal cancer home screening test kits on several dates and locations during March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, to raise awareness about colorectal cancer. FIT kits, or Fecal Immunochemical Tests are a test kit requiring one specimen, compared to fecal occult blood tests which require three on three separate days. FIT kits do not substitute for a colonoscopy, which is the best method to detect colorectal cancer. The test kits can detect the presence of blood, which can be an indicator of several different medical

An experienced medical team on your side can make a difference in your health. That’s why a multi-faceted approach is the foundation of what we do at SIU Medicine. SIU Medicine is the clinical practice of SIU School of Medicine – which means it’s an academic medicine environment, where education and health care combine. Pioneering research meets compassionate care With academic medicine, your care is tailored to you. It’s shaped by the insights of medical students and teachers whose mission is to improve your health while simultaneously advancing medical research. This balance of empathy and

Doctors from Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU will provide free cancer screenings from 9 a.m. – noon on Saturday, March 9, at Hillsboro Area Hospital, 1200 East Tremont. “Early detection of cancer is so important in treating the disease,” said Aziz Khan, MD, executive director of Simmons Cancer Institute and chief of hematology/oncology at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield. “We are very glad to partner with Hillsboro Area Hospital to offer a second year of free screenings for area residents.” The Montgomery County Cancer Association is sponsoring the free event. Skin cancer screenings, home

Doctors from Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU will provide free cancer screenings from 9 a.m. – noon on Saturday, March 9, at Hillsboro Area Hospital, 1200 East Tremont. “Early detection of cancer is so important in treating the disease,” said Aziz Khan, MD, executive director of Simmons Cancer Institute and chief of hematology/oncology at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield. “We are very glad to partner with Hillsboro Area Hospital to offer a second year of free screenings for area residents.” The Montgomery County Cancer Association is sponsoring the free event. Skin cancer screenings, home

Dear Colleagues: On a quarterly basis, I will provide a written or video description of some of the recent activities, accomplishments, and upcoming events at SIU Medicine. I will keep you appraised of the various opportunities and challenges that are before us. These updates certainly will not include all of the important activities at SIU Medicine, but I will try to represent things that fulfill our mission and strategies, and that I will also bring to the attention of the leaders of the SIU System. This communication is a type of “News and Views” delivered right to your desktop. I will

Wiley Jenkins, PhD, MPH, FACE Division Chief, Epidemiology and Biostatistics Eric Adjei Boakye, PhD, MA Assistant Professor Rebecca Bolinski, MA Graduate Assistant John Bresett, MS Graduate Assistant Megan Dandurand, MSW Research Project Specialist Stacy Grundy, DrPH, MPH Research Assistant Professor Min Jee Lee, PhD, MPH Assistant Professor Allison Spenner, MS Senior Research Project Coordinator Mary York, MSW Graduate Assistant

Thomas (TJ) Albers, MA Health Policy Coordinator Latiyfa Fields, MA Health Policy Specialist Amanda Fogleman, MEng Senior Research Project Coordinator Carolyn Pointer, JD Policy Director