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Weather Alert

Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT /8 PM EDT/ THIS
EVENING...

* WHAT...Peak heat index values of 100 to 105.

* WHERE...All of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western
Kentucky, and southeast Missouri.

* WHEN...Until 7 PM CDT /8 PM EDT/ this evening.

* IMPACTS...Prolonged hot temperatures and high humidity may
cause heat illnesses.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out
of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

Take extra precautions when outside. Wear lightweight and loose
fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early
morning or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat
exhaustion and heat stroke.

&&

Governor Pritzker visits SIH Cancer Institute to announce $10 million dollar grant

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Governor Pritzker was in Southern Illinois today. He was here to announce a grant for SIH's Cancer Institute.

CARTERVILLE, Ill. (WSIL) --- Governor J. B. Pritzker was in Southern Illinois today. He was here to announce a grant for SIH’s Cancer Institute.

SIH officials say cancer is the second leading cause of death in the southern 11 counties.

Leading Causes of Death, 2018 - Eleven County Service Area

Southern Illinois Healthcare 

The SIH Cancer Institute has a bell for patients to ring when they are notified of having no evidence of disease, which Lorin Merrill-Fink was able to share with people at a grant announcement for the SIH Cancer Institute.

“I became a member of a club no one asked to join and, and my options were to come here for treatment or go to St. Louis,� Merrill-Fink said.

Merrill-Fink says she was diagnosed with breast cancer three months after she retired in 2018 and had to go through extensive treatment.

“I had 18 rounds of dose-dense chemotherapy that took place every two weeks. One of the types of chemotherapy was called the Red Devil,� Merrill-Fink says. “And then in March of 2019, I had a single mastectomy, and then there had to be a healing process with that. And in June, I started 33 rounds of radiation, which were every day for 33 days, minus the weekends.�

Merrill-Fink’s story is one of many who visit SIH daily for treatment, which is why SIH expanded its space. Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker announced that the institute is receiving a grant from the Rebuild Illinois fund.

“Each of these expansion projects speaks to what our state’s infrastructure program, Rebuild Illinois, is all about. It’s about our people. It’s about serving people,� Governor Pritzker said.

Pritzer shared that they would be getting $10 million to pay for the .

Plus, totaling $300 thousand that will help renovate and expand the institute’s cafe and kitchen.

“Although administrators and providers prepared for a significant volume of patients, the demand far outweighed the original 43,500 square feet of a building,� Pritzker said.

State leaders and SIH spoke on the importance of healthcare for Southern Illinois patients, including SIH Cancer Institute Medical Director Dr. Muhammad Popalzai.

“You’re not in your best health, and you have to travel every few weeks, arrange for transport, go back to St. Louis or Nashville,� Dr. Popalzai says. “It can become quite daunting after a while. So having this here and, in many cases, getting the same treatment that you would be having access to in a bigger center, it’s quite remarkable.�

Susie O’Neill, Director of SIH’s Oncology Clinical Service Line, says the expansion made it possible for them to serve more people.

“We have a new lab space that allows us to again treat more patients and our pharmacy has been upgraded to a USP 800 pharmacy able to manage hazardous drugs, very state of the art,� O’Neill said.

SIH officials say the 10 million grant is the largest that SIH Cancer Institute has received.