Community Health Collaborative convenes first meeting of 2026
[March 07, 2026]
The Community Health Collaborative (CHC) met at Lincoln Memorial
Hospital on Thursday March 5 for participants to share updates, events,
and program news at their first meeting this year. The mission of the
CHC is to create the best quality of life possible for Logan County
residents. The public and any local organizations are invited to attend
CHC meetings.
The meeting was conducted by Molly McCain, LMH Community Health
Consultant. McCain opened the meeting with updates from LMH and invited
LMH colleague Jeannette Davis to introduce the BRIDGE Deflection
program. This program officially launched on February 24 in Lincoln and
there have already been eight referrals to the program from Lincoln
police. The goal of a deflection program is to help people to avoid
becoming justice impacted. This deflection program is the first one in
Illinois that allows officer referral in the moment of a traffic stop at
the officer’s discretion. Potential clients are referred to deflection
specialists for “relentless engagement” in this free, voluntary 90-day
program intended to deflect individuals from the justice system through
assistance and interventions. Most referrals come from police, but other
community workers can also make referrals. This is an important program
that can change lives, and the lives of families. BRIDGE Deflection
covers Logan, Mason, and Menard counties. There is a great deal of
support from Lincoln Police Chief Joseph Meister, Jr. and the Lincoln
police department.
Additional LMH updates included a smoothie bike event at LMH on February
18. The smoothie blender is powered by pedaling the connected stationary
bicycle. It is also possible to charge cell phones by pedaling. The bike
is available for schools and community organizations to use. During the
summer the bike is at the LMH Market at the Logan County Fairgrounds.
The second annual Elevate Your Wellness Expo with a variety of vendors,
health professionals, and demonstrations will be at the Lincoln Park
District on March 14 from 9 a.m. to noon on the indoor tennis courts.
There is a free family bowling event at Logan Lanes sponsored by
Crimestoppers, Logan County Recovers Together, and the LMH Community
Health Collaborative including free bowling, shoe rental, and food with
vendors and giveaways. This is a substance-free activity for families to
enjoy time together.
Free Colorectal At-Home Cancer Screening Kits are available from LMH
with registration. Pick up for the kits will be at LMH on Wednesday,
March 18 from 9 a.m. to noon. The elderly who cannot tolerate anesthesia
are good candidates for at-home testing kits. Results are generally
delivered within a month.
Jeanette Davis is one of two Community Engagement Specialists with
Memorial Behavioral Health. These specialists offer peer support for
mental health and substance use disorder. They ride along with
clinicians on mental health calls. They can also support family members
of those struggling with substance use disorder and provide resources
and education.
There is currently no waiting list for counseling at Memorial Behavioral
Health. Counselors are available in Lincoln, and referral forms are on
their website. Memorial Behavioral Health is presenting their first
Continuing Education of the year on March 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
in Springfield which will count for 6.5 CE hours. The topic is Peer
Support and Clinical Collaboration: Integrating Lived Experience to
Improve Outcome with speaker Trenda Hedges, and the workshop includes a
panel. This training is free and will be held at the Edgar J. Curtis
Memorial Learning Center.
Logan/Mason Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) hosted a
Valentine’s Day dance at Hope on 5th in Lincoln. There were beautiful
decorations and music. Community members as well as residents and ROSC
members attended the substance-free event.
Senior Life Solutions at LMH has a new free support group for chronic
pain that meets the first Monday of each month from 1 – 2 p.m. An
ongoing Grief and Caregiver support group for adults also meets on the
first Monday of each month from 10:30-11:30 a.m. On May 4, Senior Life
Solutions will host an Open House with a showcase of mental health
support. Senior Life Solutions offer group therapy for senior citizens.
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Chestnut Health Systems orchestrates strategies for substance use
prevention. This year is an Illinois Youth Survey year which
collects information from adolescents about mental health,
nutrition, physical activity, substance use, etc. Prevention
specialists teach the youth prevention curriculum “Too Good for
Drugs" to 6th and 7th graders and are currently teaching at Lincoln
Junior High School. Prevention specialists also conduct an alcohol
education campaign targeting parents with posters, mailers, surveys,
etc. Their anti-vaping campaign is targeted toward high schoolers in
Logan County with posters and lunchtime information tables. The
Substance Use Prevention Coalition meets the second Thursday of
every month from 9 - 10 a.m. at LMH. The SUPC is currently
conducting key informant interviews and welcomes new members.
Castle Manor supportive living is currently full
with 13 people on the waiting list. They accept Medicaid and private
pay. They have an upcoming community Easter Egg Hunt on April 3
(Good Friday) at 10 a.m. with the Easter bunny and a cotton candy
truck at the facility. They are looking for a part time nursing
supervisor to assist the director of nursing.
Home Instead provides support to help seniors age in place. They
accept private pay for long-term care.
The Villas Estates (at the former Christian Village) assisted living
is full with a small waitlist. Apartments are open in the congregate
building. They are planning an open house in the future. A Paint and
Sip for the community with Joyful Painting has been scheduled for
March 22 at 1 p.m. also sponsored by Advanced Home Health,
Transitions Hospice, and Home Instead.
Participation is limited to 15 and pre-registration is required. The
nursing home will be an Arcadia Arc and the memory care building
will open again. They are waiting on state inspection to know what
updates are needed. Villas Estates is hoping to open skilled nursing
facilities by the end of the year.
Better Births Outcomes at the Logan County Health Department has a
goal to decrease rates of complication in pregnant and postpartum
mothers and in infants up to 6 months. The health department WIC
Coordinator is looking to boost their case load because winter is
typically slow.
Early Intervention through the Sangamon County Department of Health
serves children up to age three. Referrals can be made by families,
doctors, and others. They accept Medicaid and private insurance.
Family Guidance Centers in Springfield can help with parent
resources, staff training, and other resources. They are working on
toolkits for parents and school resource officers. They have
resources and a weekly
blog.
Breakpoint serves children ages 0 - 18 who have
been impacted by violence. They are currently hiring therapists.
Logan County is one of the lower referral counties, but they provide
services here. The crisis nursery is available 24 hours a day and
free infant supplies are available every 30 days. April is Child
Abuse Prevention Month, and Breakpoint is hosting a 5k to raise
awareness and to raise funds for the crisis nursery.
The Youth Mental Health Coalition will meet in April at LMH. They
have been running a grant-supported text campaign called Railer
Reach Out at Lincoln Community High School. There are currently 321
subscribers, which is 43% of the school population. February was
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month with a Love is Respect focus.
The Railer Reach Out team hosts focus groups to design texts and
sends two to three messages a month based on student feedback.
Students may sign up with QR codes posted in banners, flyers, and
magnets around the school.
The LMH Market opens May 9 at the Logan County Fairgrounds. On
average, 750-800 people come to the market every weekend. Sign-ups
will be open in April for free booth space for non-profits and
community organizations.
The May LMH Walking Challenge will be called Mindful Miles and all 5
Memorial affiliates will be participating. The walking challenge
will include tips and information about mindfulness.
The next CHC will meet on June 4 at a location that will be
announced at a later time. The next Substance Use Prevention
Coalition will meet at LMH on March 12 in the Wombacher room at 9
a.m. The new Youth Mental Health Coalition will meet on April 20 at
LMH at 9 a.m. also in the Wombacher room.
[Stephanie Hall]
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