Randy Miller’s family history included a worrisome heart pattern. The 70-year-old’s father died of congestive heart failure, and he had two uncles who dealt with heart issues as well. So he didn’t protest when Roger McClintock, MD, an internist with…
Excited about registering for a walking challenge or running event but not sure if you are ready? Many people want to jumpstart their fitness journey by joining a walking challenge or running in a charitable event by signing up for…
The submarine vibe of the hyperbaric multi-place oxygen chamber at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital didn’t intimidate patient Brad Russell. The 58-year-old Springfield man is 6’8” and admittedly somewhat claustrophobic. At the advice of his care team, he took the short drive…
Sometimes a high schooler just needs a little extra encouragement and a short reminder about what’s important and what’s not. School texting campaigns can provide just that – low-key reminders about mental health topics delivered in brief nuggets through a…
High school honors chemistry teacher KJ Reid didn’t get sick. Not as a child. Not as an adult. Then in February 2023, his healthy streak came to an abrupt and dramatic end. “He was my child with perfect health,” said…
Summertime gives us more daylight and longer days. Unfortunately, that can lead to sleep problems, says Stevi Surratt, RRT, supervisor of Cardiopulmonary, Cardiovascular and Sleep Lab programs at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital. “A change in daylight can affect melatonin, a sleep-inducing…
Matt Thomas had always heard there was a time capsule placed during construction of St. Vincent Memorial Hospital—the precursor to Taylorville Memorial Hospital—in the early 1950s. When the facility underwent a large-scale renovation in 2020 and 2021, the regional director…
Working your way back to “normal” after a stroke is a journey – one that Chatham’s Jim Huffman is all too familiar with after having survived two strokes within a few weeks of each other in fall 2023. Thanks to…
Shirley Dittus has never faced a task she couldn’t tackle. If you ask her about her occupation, she will tell you she was a farmer’s wife in rural Atlanta, Illinois. But much like the term “volunteer” at a hospital, that…
Megan Price fell in love with taking care of others as a resident assistant at Cedarhurst Assisted Living and Memory Care in Springfield. The 25-year-old from Petersburg was touched by the trust patients placed in their medical providers during vulnerable…