News of the so-called "super-bug" continues to swirl around Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, causing concern in schools, communities and hospitals. In several cases, small cuts and scrapes have turned into life-threatening illnesses.
For others, routine visits to a hospital left patients seriously ill with antibiotic-resistant staph infections. The particularly dangerous Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, referred to as MRSA ("mur-suh"), has already caused the death of several area children and an estimated 19,000 people nationwide.
To deal with the growing problem, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) authored legislation that would help hospitals and communities prevent, detect and treat staph infections, including the deadly MRSA.
The Community and Healthcare-Associated Infections Reduction (CHAIR) Act, introduced Oct. 30, addresses public awareness, research, reporting and prevention efforts.
Full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/durbin-addresses-deadly-staph-infections
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
State legislators share mass transit woes
With tough budget and overtime sessions all summer, state Sen. John Cullerton (D-Chicago) said in some ways it's been a "horrific year." But he still had some positive things to talk about at a recent Town Hall meeting at the Center on Halsted.
"One of the most important issues in my district is the CTA, more important perhaps than the state budget," Cullerton said. "I'm the sponsor of a bill that, if it passes, will be a long-term solution to the RTA /CTA funding crisis."
Mass transit problems are partly due to incompetence and mismanagement of funds, Cullerton said. But raising fares will not solve the problem, he said, because fares cover the cost of just half of mass transit, so more money is needed.
"We've been funding the RTA through a sales tax," Cullerton said. "There's a 1 percent sales tax in Cook County and a .25 percent sales tax in the collar counties" (Lake, McHenry, Kane, Will and DuPage).
Full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/state-legislators-share-mass-transit-woes
(c) Keri Lynch 2008
"One of the most important issues in my district is the CTA, more important perhaps than the state budget," Cullerton said. "I'm the sponsor of a bill that, if it passes, will be a long-term solution to the RTA /CTA funding crisis."
Mass transit problems are partly due to incompetence and mismanagement of funds, Cullerton said. But raising fares will not solve the problem, he said, because fares cover the cost of just half of mass transit, so more money is needed.
"We've been funding the RTA through a sales tax," Cullerton said. "There's a 1 percent sales tax in Cook County and a .25 percent sales tax in the collar counties" (Lake, McHenry, Kane, Will and DuPage).
Full story:
http://chicagotalks.org/wiki/state-legislators-share-mass-transit-woes
(c) Keri Lynch 2008
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