SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Sen. Durbin to Attend IHA Leadership Summit
U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin, a steadfast supporter of Illinois hospitals, has accepted IHA’s invitation to attend our marquee membership event of the year, IHA Leadership Summit, held Oct. 1-2 in Oak Brook. We encourage hospital and health system C-Suite leaders to join us to celebrate Sen. Durbin’s over 40 years of service to the state of Illinois.
Sen. Durbin began his public service career as a U.S. representative from 1983-1996, serving the Springfield area. His time in the U.S. Senate began in 1997, and he’s been elected as the high-ranking Senate Democratic Whip continuously since 2005.
He is Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and sits on the Appropriations and Agriculture Committees. His healthcare priorities include:
- Building on the Affordable Care Act, including preserving protections for people with pre-existing conditions and curbing junk insurance plans;
- Bringing down prescription drug prices by cracking down on abusive practices and price gouging;
- Addressing the shortage of rural healthcare providers to ensure all Illinoisans can get the care they need;
- Providing strong support for hospitals that care for vulnerable patients in rural and urban communities; and
- Increasing medical and scientific research funding to help find a cure for diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Sen. Durbin, who in 2025 announced he would not run for re-election, will be our guest of honor and will speak to hospital and health system leaders on the Summit’s second day.
Learn more about the sessions and speakers at this year’s conference, “Navigating Disruption Together,” on our registration website—and bring your team to hear from Sen. Durbin and top thought leaders from Illinois and across the country.
Staff contact: David Strickland
IDPH Funding Opportunity: Reducing Access to Lethal Means
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for “Reducing Access to Lethal Means – 2027 (RALMRS-27),” a one-time $125,000 award to provide support to one organization for the purpose of implementing a project focused on reducing access to lethal means and providing education on safe storage practices. Funding will be for the period of Sept. 15, 2026-Sept. 14, 2027.
The grant application must be completed and submitted through the IDPH Electronic Grants Administration and Management System (EGrAMS). You can access the application at https://idphgrants.com/user/home.aspx. Click “Current Grants” in the lefthand menu and scroll down to click “Health Promotion,” to access the hyperlink to RALMRS-27.
CDC Report: Illinois Joins 23 States Reporting Drug-Resistant Fungus Cases
According to recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been nearly 3,200 cases of the fungal infection Candida auris reported in the U.S. so far this year. Twenty-three states have reported 3,182 cases in 2026, with 379 of those cases in Illinois. Illinois is the third-hardest hit state in the country, following Michigan and Texas. The CDC said that while the total number of U.S. clinical cases has increased each year since the first U.S. case was reported in 2016, in recent years the rate of increase has been slowing. For more information on C. auris visit this IDPH webpage.
Becker’s: 240 Community Hospital CEOs to Know
Seven Illinois community hospital CEOs were recently recognized by Becker’s Healthcare as one of its 2026 Community Hospital CEOs to Know.
In an announcement, Becker’s said, “The community hospital CEOs recognized here are community stewards, strategic visionaries and patient advocates. While acute care remains central to their mission, these forward-thinking executives also prioritize expanding their institutions’ offerings, making sure to weave primary care, specialty treatments, rehabilitation and public health programs into a broader picture of community health. Simultaneously, they are shaping the cultures that attract and retain talented caregivers, building the long-term strategies that position their hospitals for growth, and maintaining the financial discipline that keeps high-quality, cost-effective care within reach for their communities.”
Illinois hospital leaders who were recognized on Becker’s 2026 list include:
- Michael Antoniades, President of UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey;
- Sarah Hunter, President at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park;
- Phillip Kambic, President and CEO at Riverside Healthcare in Kankakee;
- Chris Klay, President and CEO of Hospital Sisters Health System Southern Illinois Market;
- Michael Mutterer, President and CEO at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox;
- Eric Rhodes, President of Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove; and
- Dawn Trompeter, President of OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center in Peru and Ottawa.
Webinar Aug. 10: Developments in the Crisis Services Continuum
The Cook County Health Office of Behavioral Health’s Learning Series was launched earlier this year to drive coordinated, system-wide action on the issues shaping the behavioral health landscape. An upcoming Aug. 10 webinar from 1-2 p.m. CT will take a deeper dive into the crisis services continuum. Click here to register for the program, “Developments in the Crisis Services Continuum,” which will feature Allie Lichterman, Administrator for Crisis Community Programs with the Illinois Dept. of Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery.
Lichterman will discuss the ongoing and vital efforts underway across agencies and community stakeholders to strengthen the crisis services continuum and ensure that every person experiencing a behavioral health crisis has someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere to go. The webinar will focus on:
- Understanding of the current status of Illinois’ behavioral health crisis system;
- The importance of interoperability between the behavioral health crisis system and 911; and
- Illinois’ path to sustainable funding for behavioral health crisis work.
Illinois Respiratory Disease Surveillance Data
