IHA Daily Briefing: July 29

Workforce Strategy: IHA, Medical Solutions Forum in Naperville Aug. 27
An in-person leadership forum for hospital and health systems executives and clinical leaders will explore key strategies to address an ongoing challenge: building and retaining your healthcare workforce. The event on Thursday, Aug. 27, "Shaping the Future Healthcare Workforce: A Leadership Forum," will be held at Northern Illinois University in Naperville, home to IHA's suburban Chicago office.

IHA, Medical Solutions and Exigent Medical Education are offering the complimentary event from 9 a.m.-4 pm. CT. You'll hear from a national nurse expert and leaders from IHA and Medical Solutions. Their sessions will:

• Re-examine workplace culture and identify actionable recruitment and retention strategies;
• Discuss how to move beyond reactive staffing decisions and toward a sustainable, system-based workforce strategy;
• Spotlight the role of allied staffing in improving speed, flexibility, and operational stability; and
• Provide an update on the Illinois Health Care Workforce Task Force and share Illinois hospital efforts to protect workers from violence.

There is no fee to attend. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, and continuing education credits will be available. The event will also feature a drawing for free registration for IHA Leadership Summit on Oct. 1-2. Attend the leadership forum to strengthen your workforce strategy and network with peer leaders. Register today.

Staff contact: Patrick Sonin

AABB Disaster Task Force Urges Blood Donations to Fend Off Imminent Shortages
The Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies' (AABB) Interorganizational Task Force on Domestic Disasters and Acts of Terrorism, of which the American Hospital Association is a member, on July 24 issued a statement that the U.S. blood supply is at significant risk for blood shortages. The reduced supply is due to weeks of decline in blood donations. In some areas, blood collectors are already reporting an impact on the availability of blood for some patients.

Hospitals and health systems are strongly encouraged to urge eligible individuals in their communities to make and keep an appointment to donate blood at their nearest blood collection location. Hospitals are encouraged to share the following links to help eligible individuals find their closest blood collection location.

The American Red Cross has declared the four-year summer low in blood donations its second-ever national blood supply crisis.

Gov. Pritzker Signs School Cell Phone Ban into Law
Yesterday, Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law SB 2427, instituting a statewide ban on cell phone and personal device framework in Illinois public schools. Seeking to keep classrooms free from distractions, the law requires school districts to develop and implement a "bell-to-bell" policy, restricting access to cell phones between the hours of the first arrival bell to the final dismissal bell. For kindergarten through 8th grade, this includes during class, as well as lunch, passing periods, and other non-instructional hours of the day.

Illinois Publishes 2026 Prevailing Wage Rates
The Illinois Dept. of Labor has published the 2026 prevailing wage rates for construction trades in all 102 counties. The updated rates took effect July 15 following the Department's annual survey and apply to publicly funded construction projects across the state. Written objections to the published rates must be filed with the Department by Aug. 14, 2026, after which any disputes will be heard by an Administrative Law Judge.

Tracking Cyclosporiasis: Understanding the Current Outbreak
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials latest communications on cyclosporiasis highlight the current outbreak and the public health response as case counts continue to climb. The article explains how health departments are tracing the source of infection, why cyclospora is especially difficult to investigate, and what clinicians and consumers should know about delayed symptoms, specialized testing, and the recalled Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce linked to the outbreak.