Community Health Collaborative meets for end-of-year updates
[December 06, 2025]
Regional community leaders and representatives of various
community organizations met on Thursday, December 4 at Lincoln Memorial
Hospital (LMH) to share updates at the quarterly Community Health
Collaborative (CHC) meeting. The CHC’s goal is to create the best
quality of life possible for Logan County residents. Led by LMH
Community Health Coordinator Molly McCain, McCain began with updates
about recent LMH initiatives.
The LMH Harvest Walking Challenge in October was successful with 576
participants. In November, hundreds of pumpkins were kept out of
landfills with the Pumpkin Smash and Splash at Kickipoo Park and Lincoln
Community Garden. Leftover Halloween pumpkins were smashed and thrown
into Kickipoo creek to feed wildlife during the winter and into the
compost at Lincoln Community Garden.
The Railer Reach Out is a text campaign initiated last year at Lincoln
Community High School. Earlier in the fall, 21 high school students
participated in a focus group for feedback and questions about future
messages. McCain and others from Memorial Health hosted a lunch table at
LCHS for a quick activity for students on stress and goal setting. The
next goals are to expand to other schools beyond LCHS and to include
community partners.
Kara Davis, director of nursing at the Logan County Health Department,
reported that the county and state are cutting some funding, so the
health department income now comes from administering vaccines. The
health department is open for vaccines from 7:45 a.m.-3:45 p.m. every
day and walk-ins are welcome. When vaccines are given at the health
department, the money stays in the local community rather than going to
a corporate pharmacy. She encourages county residents to “shop local”
for their vaccines. The Logan County Health Department also offers free
STI testing by appointment, which is state funded, and free condoms. The
Health Department also offers TB testing. Davis said that Logan County
is a county with high levels of and so the health department offers lead
testing for children. They also provide free school physicals for
students in the summer. The health department hosts frequent flu vaccine
clinics including in the community and by request.
Becky Thatcher of Birth to Five reported that the organization is
starting behavioral health training to serve families of young children.
They are beginning with a survey about existing training, and plan to
tailor their training to the population that they serve, which is kids
under the age of 8 and their parents.
Jackie Pope-Ganser introduced Hands of God Hospice. Their mission is “to
provide the care and compassion to patients, families, and caregivers
for those whose physical journey nears an end.” Hands of God Hospice
works in homes and senior living communities. They are a faith-forward
hospice organization, but faith is not a requirement of patients. They
have a RN case manager based in Lincoln who is able to react to needs in
a timely manner. They recognize that this time of year is difficult for
those grieving and will also support those who are not patients. Hands
of God Hospice understands that hospice is not exclusive to the senior
population.
Sarah Helm reported that LMH has a new president and CEO, Tamar Kutz, a
Logan County resident. Former CEO Dolan Dalpoas is now senior vice
president and chief community impact and philanthropy officer. The LMH
Foundation continues to award education grants, including to a recent
student studying radiography, and grants to purchase medical equipment.
In October, which was breast cancer awareness month, LMH provided a
record 388 mammograms and fully funded 29 of those through the LMH
Foundation.
Castle Manor is a supportive living community in Lincoln. The facility
hosted a Black and Gold Gala on December 5 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with
mocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a chocolate fountain. On Friday, December
12 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Castle Manor will host photos with Santa.
Families will be able to take their photos home with them and enjoy
cookies and hot chocolate as part of the experience. Currently the
facility is at full capacity with 11 people on the waitlist. They are
looking for a new building services director. An application for the
position is available online.
Kylie Fricke, Business Development Advisor for Home Instead, introduced
the organization as a non-medical in-home care company that helps
seniors age safely where they are. Home Instead assists with bathing,
dressing, meal preparation, transportation, and also companionship. They
accept long-term care insurance, private pay, and VA benefits.
Memorial Behavioral Health has a free caregiver and grief support group
called Mind Matters that meets the first Monday of each month from 10:30
to 11:30 a.m. at LMH. The group is adults only and is designed to
support community members dealing with loneliness, grief and loss,
caregiver fatigue, and related mental health and coping skills.
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Hometown Senior Care Advisors is a regional organization that helps
families find the right care and resources at either a senior living
facility or to stay at home. They provide free help connecting with
resources and care solutions. The company was started in 2023 and is
now expanding into Logan County. Sabrina Bolatto is the new advisor
for Logan County. The business is compensated by facilities where
they make placements, so there is no cost for advising services to
seniors and their families.
Darian Brown, regional manager for Girls on the Run, updated the CHC
about the nationwide program which is an after school program for
girls grades 3-8 focusing on social and emotional well being using
running to focus on confidence. The program includes a final 5K in
Springfield and as well as a local service project. Adult volunteers
do not have to be runners. Brown is looking for Logan County people
to champion the program at local schools. Before the pandemic, there
was a Girls on the Run program at almost every Lincoln grade school.
Currently, only Washington-Monroe has a program and girls from other
schools are welcome at the Washington-Monroe chapter. There is a fee
for the program, but scholarships are available, and Girls on the
Run sponsors a giving campaign to support the scholarships. The
spring season starts in March at Washington-Monroe.
Jennifer Kirby, Director of Heartland Community College (HCC),
provided updates on the proposed plan for new programs. HCC is
looking for instructors for the CNA program, hoping to add four
sections. HCC offers GED classes for adults in person and online.
The next session begins January 12 and enrollment is currently open.
A welding work-ready micro-certificate program begins its next
session in January at Lincolnland Technical Education Center with
classes in the evenings. HCC also houses Illinois Worknet which can
provide funding for training and education. HCC continues to look
for adjunct instructors. The benefit to local organizations of
allowing employees to teach adjunct in programs such as the CNA
program is that the instructors will know the quality of the
students and be able to connect with and even provide applications
to students for the instructor’s organization. HCC will work with
perceived barriers to higher education. Concerns like college is too
expensive or feelings of “I’m not college material” can be
successfully addressed. HCC provides financial assistance, tutoring,
and wrap-around services. They want to make college accessible to
everyone.
Hope on Fifth has served 37 people with shelter since it began
housing in January of 2024 and currently houses 17 people. There are
over 50 on the waiting list. The board is continually fundraising
and taking donations. Hope on Fifth has housed families, seniors,
and veterans. Help is provided for residents in the form of case
management and assistance searching for permanent housing.
Chestnut Health Systems employs prevention
specialists to provide youth prevention education for grades 6-12.
The Illinois Youth Survey offered every spring semester in even
number years is scheduled for 2026. The goal of the survey is
collecting data on drugs, violence, and other concerns. The
Substance Use Prevention Coalition meets every second Thursday of
the month at LMH and has a mission to reduce substance use among
youth in Logan County. Currently prevention specialists are
providing prevention education at area middle schools and will begin
at LJHS in January. A high school anti-vaping campaign is grant
supported and prevention specialists provide posters and visit
schools during lunch time. An alcohol campaign directed at parents
provides talking points for conversations with their children about
alcohol consumption.
Memorial Behavioral Health currently does not have a waitlist in
Lincoln to schedule appointments with therapists. The fastest way to
schedule an intake appointment is to walk in at the Memorial
Behavioral Health clinic in Springfield, but potential clients may
fill out an online referral or call to schedule an appointment.
Memorial Behavioral Health also provides a Mobile Crisis Response,
which provides crisis de-escalation and intervention within the
community setting 24 hours a day. The team is composed of clinicians
trained in verbal de-escalation, conflict resolution, suicide
prevention, and safety planning that can come to schools, homes, or
other community areas.
The next Substance Use Prevention Coalition meeting will be December
11 at LMH and via Zoom. The mission of the SUPC is to promote
awareness of substance use disorder, prevent youth substance use,
and improve access to resources. A new Youth Mental Health Coalition
will meet in 2026 on April 20, June 22, August 17, and October 19.
The Youth Mental Health Coalition’s goal is to increase protective
factors, youth mental health resources, and healing through
community resources and collaborative efforts. The next CHC meeting
will be March 5, 2026 at LMH.
[Stephanie Hall] |
