Results tagged “departmentofpublichealth”

While it's been in effect for three years, but the state of Illinois is just now getting around to enforcing a law that requires tattoo parlors (as well as piercing places) to pass an annual inspection by the state Department of Public Health. Parlors will have to register with the state and meet a set of regulations to earn a passing grade. So far, 212 parlors have registered. [Tribune, NBC 5]

The state budget mess has left confusion in many sectors and the latest concern is over a lack of swine flu vaccinations. While the virus faded from headlines here in the states, it's still making the rounds and things are getting worse in England. And with the state budget, well, non-existent, there's concern about local health departments - as well as the state's - being able to properly plan for vaccinations. Cook County Department of Public Health head Stephen Martin told WBEZ, "We as a health department by ourselves cannot do this. Nor do we know the impact on our providers - we don’t know how many people they can bring to the table to help us pull off a major campaign for one of the nation’s biggest metro areas." Martin also expressed concern over cuts to disease control budgets that have been threatened by state lawmakers. [WBEZ]

With the City already staring down major cuts, the Department of Public Health could be adding to the cutbacks. The DPH could be forced to cut spending by 25 percent and layoff as many as 80 workers. The main culprit? The ongoing state budget crisis in Springfield right now. Dr. Terry Mason, DPH head, said yesterday at a press conference, “This is real. This is not something that is contrived. You cannot make bricks without straw and you cannot provide services without people. This political game which is being framed as an economic argument, but it’s a political game and it needs a political solution and it needs it now.” Other departments, such as the Department of Family and Support Services, also face double-digit cuts. [Chi-Town Daily News]

In a move that actually makes sense, Chi-Town Daily News reports that Chicago Public Schools will soon begin offering students STD testing with help from the Chicago Department of Public Health. Cook County is number one in the nation in gonorrhea cases and third for chlamydia cases and teens make up 60 percent of Chicago's new cases. No word, though, when testing will become available to students.

While no useful information about the patient was released - i.e., age, gender, preexisting conditions - officials have confirmed that a Chicago patient became the state's first H1N1 flue (a.k.a. "swine flu") death. There are nearly 900 confirmed cases of the flu here in Illinois right now - 896 to be exact - and it underlies the danger that remains, according to Illinois Dept. of Public Health Director Dr. Damon T. Arnold. In a statement, he said, "With as many cases of H1N1 influenza that have been reported in Illinois, we have been concerned that there would be fatalities. We know the virus is still circulating in the state and I would like to remind everyone, especially those with chronic medical conditions, to continue taking steps to keep from getting the flu." The death was the nation's 12th as a result of the disease and Arnold did say there were preexisting conditions for the patient, but no details were released.

A "food desert," by definition, is a geographic area with no or distant grocery stores served by a plethora of fast food restaurants. An estimated 500,000 Chicago residents live in a food desert and the health implications can be staggering.