Illinois
Illinois children with complex medical needs receive fraction of care they qualify for, records show
CHICAGO (CBS) – More than 1,000 Illinois children need some extra help eating or even breathing, or what the state considers “medically complex” and “technology dependent.”
Illinois is federally required to provide these kids and their families with resources, but a CBS 2 investigation found the state is routinely falling short.
Sarah loves to play. Her bedroom was filled with small things that bring her joy and big pieces of equipment that keep her stable.
“She can’t walk. She can’t talk. She can’t sit independently,” said Amy Weston, Sarah’s mother.
The 7-year-old girl also needs help breathing. She has cords to monitor her heart rate and uses a feeding pump.
It’s just some of Sarah’s medical supplies. They’re all necessary after she had a traumatic brain injury as a baby before the Westons adopted her.
“She needs 24/7 supervision,” Weston said. “I always say it’s like having a newborn but with super high stakes.”
The rest of the family does their best to help care for Sarah, but Amy is left with most daily tasks, and she’s burned out.
“It’s a privilege and an honor to take care of Sarah, and I wouldn’t trade it for the whole world, but even the state says it’s not a one-man job,” Weston said.
She referenced the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which said Sarah is qualified for in-home shift nursing. She was approved to receive 112 hours per week but only has 44 hours covered, less than 40%.
It’s a gap the Johnsburg mother is forced to fill.
“It’s not sustainable,” she said. “I mean, definitely, your own self-care suffers. Your mental health suffers. Your sleep suffers. Your whole family suffers.”
Someone else who knows the feeling is an Elk Grove Village father who spends every night on a twin bed to monitor his daughter’s breathing. The state routinely hasn’t been able to fulfill more than 20% of the hours allotted to the family, so dad is the de facto night nurse.
The Rizos from west suburban Montgomery were also exhausted.
“Without somebody monitoring him 24/7, it could be drastic,” said Carly Rizo about her son.
Despite being cleared by doctors, 1-year-old Nicholas Rizo was forced to stay in the hospital because the state couldn’t find him enough home care nurses. CBS 2 first told their story last June.
“Two months almost that he’s been able to go home,” said Eric, Nicholas’ dad.
Four months after CBS 2 spoke to the Rizos, Nicholas was happy at home with his family. His parents, on the other hand, said it’s been a little rough because Nicholas was getting nowhere near the state’s allowance of 126 hours of home care a week. Without a night nurse, one of his parents is forced to stay awake until 2:30 a.m., and then an alarm goes off for them to swap.
Records obtained by CBS 2 revealed the state approved about $306 million from September 2022 to September 2023 of home care coverage. But only $115 million, less than 40%, was used for a variety of reasons.
The Westons and other families said they’ve grown accustomed to their needs not being met.
Reporter: “How often are you asking for additional nursing help?”
Weston: “At the beginning, a lot. You kind of get to the point where, like, I’m just not going to get any help, so this is just my life.”
A lack of home care nursing is not a new problem. In fact, a group of parents raising “medically complex” children sued the state over the issue in 2015.
On Friday night at 10 p.m., CBS 2 will look into a new state solution and ask if it’s really going to help exhausted families like the Westons.
CBS 2 never heard back on a request for a sit-down interview with the new director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Elizabeth Whitehorn.
In a statement, a department spokesperson said, “The Department is deeply committed to serving the Medicaid population. And while labor market challenges during the pandemic have created strain across the health care system, the Department is continuing to identify solutions to address ongoing capacity issues, including implementing recent rate increases, among other improvements.”
Name: Eric Godoy
Title: Associate Professor
Unit: Department of Philosophy
Years at Illinois State: 8 1/2 years
Tell us about your teaching and research in the College of Arts and Sciences.
“Renewable energy alone won’t make our energy systems more just. The production, distribution, and consumption of energy are connected to many ethical issues. For example, even renewable energy projects can pollute environments or displace people. My recent research examines these ethical challenges and asks what a just transition might look like. I’ve also published work on climate ethics, trophy hunting lions, urban park design, interdisciplinary research, and dinosaur films. My most popular course is PHI 236: Values and the Environment, but I also teach many topics in moral, social-political, and environmental philosophy. I’m also a proud affiliate of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program (WGSS).”
What are your proudest accomplishments during your time at Illinois State?
“I was awarded an American Council of Learned Societies’ fellowship for my work on energy democracy this year. I was nominated by our university for a Carnegie Fellowship in 2024. I was also very honored to receive a College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Excellence Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2021. But I’m always the proudest when I hear about the success of my former students. I love getting emails about their new careers or their graduate studies in all kinds of fields: law, environmental work, and, of course, philosophy.”
What’s your favorite thing about Illinois State or the College of Arts and Sciences?
“I do my best research in conversation with students and colleagues in different fields. Our students and faculty are so talented. They’re often working on amazing projects. I learn so much from them. They encourage me to explore new research questions I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. Environmental problems are inherently interdisciplinary. I’m very grateful that CAS supports interdisciplinary work and programs, such as WGSS, Environmental Systems Science and Sustainability, and Civic Engagement. Philosophy lends itself so well to interdisciplinary relationships since there are philosophical questions at the heart of every field.”
Department of Philosophy Chair Christopher Horvath on Godoy:
“Dr. Eric Godoy is an innovative, student‑centered educator whose inclusive and interdisciplinary pedagogy consistently elevates the department’s instructional standards. He is deeply committed to creating learning environments that empower students from diverse backgrounds to engage meaningfully with complex philosophical issues. His leadership in curriculum development has made him one of the department’s most forward‑thinking educators. Complementing his teaching excellence, his research provides practical, ethically grounded solutions to energy‑policy conflicts and will shape national conversations about democratic participation in a just transition away from fossil fuels.”
Read more stories from the College of Arts and Sciences at News.IllinoisState.edu/Unit/College-Arts-Sciences and follow the college on Facebook and Instagram.
Murals and memorials of César Chavez are continuing to come down across Chicago after allegations emerged last week that the Latino civil rights activist groomed and sexually assaulted girls and women.
The allegations were revealed in a New York Times investigation published March 18.
Some artworks are being repainted with murals of Dolores Huerta, the longtime ally of Chavez in the labor rights movement. Huerta, 95, told the New York Times that Chavez had sexually assaulted her.
The Illinois Senate adopted a resolution Wednesday honoring Huerta and declaring April 10 as “Dolores Huerta Day” in Illinois.
“In recent months, Dolores Huerta has shown profound resilience and courage in sharing her own experience of harm, doing so in order to uplift the stories of countless women whose voices were overlooked or silenced,” the resolution states.
One of the resolution’s sponsors, State Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, said she is also working on a plan to rescind César Chavez Day, which is next week on March 31st.
At Cafe Tola in Lake View, a Chavez mural outside the restaurant’s building was replaced this week with a painting of Huerta, who coined the phrase, “Sí, se puede,” which loosely translates to, “Yes, we can.”
“We are deeply saddened by this news, yet we stand in unwavering support and admiration for Dolores Huerta and every woman who has found the courage to come forward,” Cafe Tola said in a social media post. “This moment is powerful — proof that truth cannot be silenced and that it is never too late to reclaim your voice. We honor that strength.”
A plaque dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the death of César Chavez, honoring him and Sister Dolores Huerta, before it was taped over at the Haymarket Memorial in the West Loop.
In the West Loop, a plaque honoring Chavez’s labor rights movement has been covered with black tape at the Haymarket Memorial. According to the Chicago Federation of Labor, the organization is planning to fully remove it.
“We will be discussing with all our partners on how to best honor both the survivors of Cesar Chavez’s horrific abuse and the workers that were betrayed by Chavez,” a spokesperson for the Chicago Federation of Labor said in a statement.
Black tape covers up a plaque (left) that commemorates the 30th anniversary of César Chavez’s death on the base of the Haymarket Memorial in the West Loop, Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Last week, Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, said the allegations that Chavez sexually assaulted children, women, workers and labor organizers “is a betrayal to our movement.”
Chavez, who died in 1993, has long been revered in Chicago’s Latino community. In addition to numerous murals of him across the city, a public elementary school in Back of the Yards and a post office in Pilsen are both named after him.
The school, César E. Chavez Multicultural Academic Center, has initiated the process that could lead to a new name. It is receiving community feedback about a possible new name, according to Chicago Public Schools officials. Any recommendation would need approval from the Local School Council and the school board.
Another school in Pilsen, Peter Cooper Dual Language Academy, has a mosaic of Chavez and Huerta side by side. It’s unclear if the school plans to remove the mosaic of Chavez.
The Sun-Times was the first to report that Chavez’s face had been painted over last week on the “Libertad” mural across a long wall at Barrett Park in Pilsen.
A splotch of green paint initially covered the portion where Chavez was depicted, but Park District officials have since painted over that with a continuation of the mural’s background design, a Park District spokesperson said.
Other historical figures on the mural, including Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. remain visible on the wall.
Paint covers Cesar Chavez’s face on a mural depicting civil rights figures that can be seen an exterior wall of Barrett Park in the Pilsen neighborhood, Friday, March 20, 2026.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time
“The Chicago Park District takes recent allegations of misconduct by Cesar Chavez seriously … and are conducting a district-wide review of any other park features that may honor him,” a Park District spokesperson said previously. “Where appropriate, we will take further action consistent with our values and standards.”
The Park District has not identified any other murals or memorials of Chavez on any of its properties, the spokesperson said Wednesday.
Contributing: Isabela Nieto
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