SANE TRAINING: Upcoming AA SANE Didactic Training OAG Webinar
The Office of the Illinois Attorney General (OAG) is offering an adult/adolescent (AA) sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) didactic training in October.
The AA SANE didactic training is a 40-hour course designed to improve response to sexual assault patients in Illinois. This training is for registered nurses, advanced practice providers and physicians who will be providing medical foresic services to sexual assault survivors in the emergency department. All AA SANE applicants must have an established mentor who is either an AA Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE), SANE-Adult (SANE-A) or AA SANE practicing in Illinois. Applicants who do not currently work in a direct patient care capacity in an emergency department must identify how they will complete the clinical training requirements and practice as a SANE or SAFE.
The OAG will offer the AA SANE didactic training on Oct. 20-22 from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. CT at Methodist College in Peoria. Click here to complete the application by the Oct. 1 deadline. More information can be found here.
Northern Illinois Emergency Preparedness & Response Training Summit
Join professionals from across Northern Illinois and the surrounding region on Sept. 29, 2026, at Elgin Community College for a full day of learning, collaboration, and practical discussion focused on strengthening preparedness and response across disciplines.
This year’s summit will bring together leaders and practitioners from public health, healthcare and emergency response for engaging sessions led by emergency preparedness experts, including the Illinois Health and Hospital Association’s Dan Bordage, Manager, Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Bordage will present at the Summit, leading a session designed to help you build a more purposeful digital presence for your emergency preparedness content. Participants will also examine real-world case studies, learn about emerging best practices, and cultivate valuable networking opportunities with regional partners committed to improving resilience and coordination.
Click here to register. Click here to view the program agenda. Whether you are a responder, planner, healthcare professional, public health partner, emergency manager, or support agency, NIEPRTS offers meaningful content and connections to support your work.
Learn More: Webinar on the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Program for Prescribers
On July 1, 2026, Medicare began a short-term demonstration, called the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, that will provide eligible Medicare Part D beneficiaries with access to certain GLP-1 drugs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a webinar for prescribers about the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge on Thursday, Sept. 24 from noon to 1 p.m. CT. During the session, CMS will provide an overview of the demo. Click here to join the webinar.
Prescribers will have an opportunity to submit questions for live Q&A, and questions may also be e-mailed in advance of the call to GLP1Demo@cms.hhs.gov. CMS said this event will be closed to the public and press.
NIST, CISA Issue Guidelines on Protecting Authentication Tools from Forgery, Theft
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) recently released a report providing guidelines to protect authentication tools, such as access tokens and identity assertions, from cyber criminals. The report noted that services extensively used in hospitals and health systems, such as single sign-on, increasingly rely on signed tokens and identity assertions and could be targeted by cyber actors to conduct forgery, theft and misuse and access sensitive data. Included in the report are technical recommendations for protection and provides information on recent high-profile cyber incidents. The agencies emphasized the need for secure-by-design practices, configurability, interoperability and continuous monitoring.
CDC Updates Guidance for Healthcare Personnel with Respiratory Viruses
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated Viral Respiratory Infections guidance on Sept. 11, modifying recommendations related to work restrictions, source control and testing for healthcare personnel who have a known or suspected exposure to a respiratory virus. The CDC said the recommendation is intended to apply to respiratory viruses such as COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza, rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus, and additional adenoviruses and enteroviruses. This recommendation is not intended to apply to viral respiratory pathogen, such as measles, mumps, rubella or viral conjunctivitis. Click here to view the guidance.
Illinois Respiratory Disease Surveillance Data
The Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) provides the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data. IDPH also tracks COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information through the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System dashboard.
Briefly Noted
A recent review of seven-day hospital readmissions published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that only around 10% of readmissions within a week of discharge were potentially preventable. Notably, almost 70% or readmitted patients had at least one hospitalization in the previous year, and a majority of the readmissions were driven by chronic disease progression, new illness or injury, and mental health or substance use conditions. For those patients readmitted for mental health or substance use, nearly 60% had left the hospital against medical advice.
Leading the News
Illinois State University partnership advances AI innovation in healthcare
ISU
Illinois State University faculty and student researchers are helping drive the future of healthcare innovation through a newly recognized partnership with Healthy Tray, an Illinois-based digital health startup that is transforming how hospitals measure and manage patient nutrition. Healthy Tray recently received an Illinois Innovation Voucher from the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC), a competitive award designed to connect innovative Illinois companies with the state’s leading research institutions. The award will support the continued development and validation of Healthy Tray’s artificial intelligence-powered food imaging platform through a collaborative effort involving Illinois State University and OSF HealthCare St. Francis Medical Center.
Illinois residents who are terminally ill can now end their lives. Here’s how it works.
WBEZ
In Illinois, terminally ill residents with less than six months to live can now request a prescription for medication to end their lives. Illinois joins 12 other states and Washington, D.C., in legalizing medical aid in dying. In Illinois, it’s called “Deb’s Law,” inspired by Deb Robertson, a former social worker in suburban Lombard who has an aggressive form of cancer. Robertson spent years advocating for the right to end her life with medication, should she choose to do so.
3 IL children’s hospitals ranked among nation’s best by U.S. News
Patch
Three children’s hospitals in Illinois have been named among the best in the country in a new U.S. News & World Report ranking released Tuesday.
