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 approves a $100 million fund for migrants and disaster aid
The county’s emergency management chief said the region faced “an exceptional year” for disasters – from thousands of migrants arriving to record storms.
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Most Cook County property owners will pay higher taxes this year
Homeowners in the north and northwest suburbs will get hit particularly hard. Schools, which rely heavily on property taxes, are largely the reason.
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More pregnant Illinoisans are dying — and it’s mostly preventable
Black women continue to be disproportionately affected and more pregnant people who die are losing their lives months after giving birth.
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Here’s a look at how Toni Preckwinkle plans to improve the Forest Preserves next year
Flush with money from a tax increase, the Forest Preserves’ budget includes plans to restore 400 acres of woodlands and floodplains and add more conservation programs.
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Toni Preckwinkle pitches a $9 billion Cook County budget with no new taxes, fees or hikes
The county’s CEO is prioritizing migrant health care and wants to tap reserves to keep some other programs after federal pandemic relief dollars end.
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Cook County wants to spend about $14 million to buy two suburban hotels for the unhoused
The county was already helping rent the former hotels in Evanston and Oak Park. The plan won approval from a county board committee, though some commissioners want low-income south suburbs prioritized.
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Midwives could help prevent more deaths. Why don’t more Chicago-area hospitals have them?
Research shows midwives help improve outcomes for both parent and child. But hospitals across the Chicago area are not investing in midwife programs.
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Federal report details a patient’s death at understaffed Loretto Hospital as workers strike
Hospital union workers are seeking better pay and more staff. The report details how a patient died after being left alone in the emergency room.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is launching a hotline to help high-risk patients get abortions at hospitals
Right now there’s a patchwork of coordination. In many cases the Chicago Abortion Fund and doctors race to find appointments by texting and emailing each other.
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Want to help Chicago migrants? Here are some groups assisting.
Volunteers have been organizing to help asylum-seekers in Chicago and many seek donations from the public.
