Excellence In Performance

Christa Newman had no idea she had been born with a rare heart condition until she woke up in Memorial Medical Center’s Intensive Care Unit two days after suffering sudden cardiac arrest on Sept. 28, 2009.

On that day, the then-33-year-old special education attendant at Fairview Elementary School in Springfield had just returned to the classroom ...

Respect for the Individual

When her sister died of leukemia in 2004, Rosemary Tuetken knew it was a wake-up call for her to pay attention to her own health.

"That made me stop and look at myself and say ‘You have to do something or you’re not going to be around,’" the Hillsboro native said. She was only 5 feet tall but weighed 216 pounds, was diabetic and had high cholesterol. Diabetes and heart disease ...

Community Responsibility

An annual walking program organized in part by Taylorville Memorial Hospital has helped hundreds of elementary school children learn to stay on the right path to a healthy lifestyle.

In conjunction with the University of Illinois Extension office, Taylorville's Elementary Walk Day, which involves six elementary schools at five facilities each spring, tries to send the message to kids that making good health choices starts early and can have lasting, positive effects. The young participants spend one afternoon after school walking 20 laps, enjoying healthy snacks and learning about their blood pressure, height and weight ...

Equal Access

Jose Arcila, MD, practiced medicine as a surgeon and family physician for 60 years. A native of Colombia, he has worked all over the world and seen his fair share of emergency medical facilities.

In his opinion, Memorial Medical Center’s Emergency Department is world class when it comes to providing efficient and effective care ...

Service to Humanity

Jan. 13, 2009, Linda Wright’s mother passed away of congestive heart failure. The following day, she signed her dad up for hospice. Approximately six weeks later, he passed away from the same condition.

"It was all so overwhelming, and I think he just kind of gave up,” Linda said. “They had been married 62 years."

A lifelong Springfield resident, Linda remained close to her parents throughout her adult life and continues to struggle ...

Respect For The Individual

Aasne Daniels has been the picture of health. Between co-owning a local yoga studio and acting in community theatre, the slender 40-year-old stays active.

She went in for her first mammogram in early 2010 expecting a clean bill of health. "I had never really even thought about getting one before that," she says. At age 39, she was a year ahead of schedule ...