NEXT WEEK: Session 1 of 3-Part Leadership Development Webinar Series 
The first session of a three-part leadership development series, “Leadership at Every Level,” will elevate the concept of building leadership capacity across a hospital or health system. The Jan. 20 webinar, from noon-1 p.m. CT, will show you why empowering staff at every level—clinical, administrative and support—is key to success.

The webinar, offered to IHA members through the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations, will also cover how to spread a leadership mindset and the behaviors that come with it across teams.

You’ll learn:

• Why leadership is a mindset, not a position;

• The 5 Foundation Leadership Tools needed for organizational success;

• Strategies to help all staff think and act like leaders; and

• How to strengthen team cohesion and accountability through shared leadership principles.

Subsequent webinars in the series, “The Leadership Expedition,” will be “Magnetic Communication” on Feb. 17 and “Leading Through Chaos” on March 17.

Registration is $195 per webinar per hospital, which includes an unlimited number of connections within the same location. Webinar recordings will be available to registrants for 60 days after each session. Register today.

Staff contact: Bridget McCarte

Get Covered Illinois Extends Deadline to Jan. 31
Get Covered Illinois announced yesterday that it is giving residents until Jan. 31 to enroll in health insurance coverage starting Feb. 1 through the state’s official marketplace and a division of the Illinois Dept. of Insurance (DOI). In a press statement, DOI said they have seen record numbers of customers seeking coverage through the marketplace. More than 140 navigators and 9,000 brokers are available to assist customers. Visit GetCoveredIllinois.gov to apply and enroll or call the Customer Assistance Center at 1-866-311-1119 (TTY: 711). The Customer Assistance Center is offering extended hours through Jan. 31.

Help Map Illinois Sector Partnerships Before Jan. 16
The Illinois Workforce Innovation Board, in collaboration with the Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, are leading an effort to better understand employer-driven sector partnerships and talent pipeline management activities across the state. The responses will guide statewide strategies and investment to expand high-performing, employer-led workforce development collaborations. If you are interested in providing feedback that will influence strategic planning decisions, click here to complete a brief survey by Jan. 16.

Nurses Once Again Rank Number 1 as Most Trusted Profession
Nurses continue to garner the highest ethics rating from Americans, a distinction they have held for 24 consecutive years, according to Gallup. Gallup’s 2025 Most Honest and Ethical Professions Poll found that in addition to nurses’ 75% “very high” or “high” rating, of the professions tracked regularly, physicians (57%) and pharmacists (53%) remain top-ranked professions for their honesty and ethical standards. In contrast, telemarketers (5%), members of Congress (7%) and car salespeople (7%) remain the lowest-rated professions for ethics.

Although nurses are held in the highest esteem, their latest ethics rating is near a 73% low for the profession and 14 percentage points shy of their record high in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, the ratings of medical doctors and pharmacists have fallen 20 and 18 points, respectively, since peaking during the pandemic and remain below pre-pandemic ratings.