Health

Health | Interviews | Music

Within “Decay,” A Story of Growth

Akenya releases a single to raise awareness of Lyme Disease

by 2 weeks ago

Sam Fuehring

Akenya is a singer, pianist, and composer from Chicago. In honor of the end of Lyme Disease Awareness Month, this past May, Akenya released a single titled “Decay.” Her fans have waited over two years since the release of her last single, “Disappear.” “Decay” intimately describes her experiences with Lyme Disease, an illness spread by ticks that can cause fatigue and pain, among other symptoms; some 30,000 cases are reported to the Centers for Disease Control every year. A percentage of proceeds from the song go to the LymeLight Foundation, which provides grants for Lyme disease treatment. The Weekly sat down with Akenya to talk about her relationship to Lyme disease and her single. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Health | Stage & Screen

Their Body, Their Choice

A new interactive play challenges us to think about teen abortion differently

by 3 months ago

Morgan Sanders

What happens when a teenager wants to abort a pregnancy? Do they need to have their parent’s permission? The new play This Boat Called My Body answers these questions. A production of For Youth Inquiry (FYI), the theater company of the Illinois Caucus For Adolescent Health (ICAH), This Boat engages its audience in a conversation about the murky waters that teenagers must navigate in order to access a safe abortion. Our journey through this conversation begins with the story of Jane.

Health

City-Run Englewood Clinic Abruptly Shuttered

Federal funding gets cut, yet HIV rates remain high in vulnerable communities

by 8 months ago 3 Comments

Jason Schumer

In early December, the Teamwork Englewood office received an anonymous call from an affiliate of the Chicago Department of Public Health alerting them that the Englewood STI Specialty Clinic—one of four city-run clinics offering free testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections—would be shutting down.

Health | Interviews

Communal Healing

Camesha Jones on mental health, violence, and innovation

by 9 months ago 2 Comments

Sebastián Hidalgo

Camesha Jones was about to enter graduate school for a degree in social work when she began to experience symptoms of a mental illness. This “somewhat traumatic” experience with the mental health care system four years ago led her to found Sista Afya, a mental wellness organization for Black women, this year. She hopes the group can help others overcome the challenges she and her family faced while going through treatment.

Health | Politics

Being a Good Neighbor

West Side group leverages the community’s resources to lift up those who need help most

by 2 years ago 1 Comment

Lee Edwards

If you can pay a kid ten dollars an hour to shovel snow, you could help keep him out of the drug business.

Health | Lead

Keeping Kids On Track

Illinois considers giving lead-poisoned children access to its successful Early Intervention program

by 2 years ago 1 Comment

Nicole Hamp is a pediatrician who says Illinois's Early Intervention program can help families maximize a lead-affected child's development. (Will Camargo)

When Saeri Geller’s son was fifteen months old, she caught him eating paint chips in their home in Grand Crossing. A visit to the doctor confirmed her fears: Ian had dangerously high blood lead levels.