Kristen Schorsch
Reporter, Health and County Government
Previously, she covered health care, government, crime, courts, higher education and news of the weird (think coffin parties) for Crain’s Chicago Business, the Chicago Tribune, the Daily Southtown and the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
Kristen has won more than a dozen local and national awards for her work. Her stories have sparked policy changes and spurred investigations.
Kristen is a former longtime board member of the Chicago Headline Club and helps organize the club’s annual FOIAFest about public information and transparency. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois and is a proud Daily Illini alumna.
Stories by Kristen Schorsch
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Cook County employees could soon receive 12 weeks of paid parental leave
Parents who work for Cook County government would get 100% pay for up to 12 weeks of leave.
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Cook County Health is bracing for a financial storm to pay for migrants’ health care
The county is treating an influx of migrants while preparing for a wave of low-income patients to lose Medicaid health insurance.
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Cook County is eliminating medical debt for almost 73,000 people
Nearly $80 million in medical debt has been acquired, eliminating the financial burden accumulated by tens of thousands of people.
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Illinois isn’t reimbursing allegedly stolen SNAP benefits
Illinois lawmakers are debating a measure to reimburse benefits skimmed from people who need financial help buying food.
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Stay true. Keep family close. Brandon Johnson gets advice at his final county board meeting.
With a nod to the Mayor-elect’s ‘unfunny’ jokes and love of snacks, Cook County board members feted Johnson before his swearing in next month.
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Illinois abortion providers say they will continue to provide mifepristone
After a flurry of dueling legal opinions, a key abortion pill remains in use among Illinois abortion providers.
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The jockeying will begin for Brandon Johnson’s Cook County Board seat
A replacement for the mayor-elect’s seat on the board will be chosen by a group of elected Democratic committeemen. The new commissioner would serve a little over two years.
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Urgent action needed for youth in mental health crisis, state teachers union and lawmakers say
The Illinois Education Association and lawmakers want to scrutinize a state program that WBEZ found is failing to support low-income kids.
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Medical debt is devastating Illinois families, a new report shows
A proposed state law would mandate that hospitals screen uninsured patients for financial help.
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Un programa de Illinois para salvar las vidas de menores con tendencias suicidas es, para muchos, un camino a ninguna parte
Una investigación de WBEZ encontró que la solución del estado se está debilitando ante la creciente demanda de servicios de salud mental, especialmente entre menores de familias de bajos ingresos.
