As another new year begins, we reflect on the past, evaluate our present and ponder the future. It’s true that our most important treasure is our health—the foundation for all that we do. Without good physical, mental and emotional health, our options—at home and in the workplace—are limited. Without it, we may question our purpose, feel discouraged or even face depression.
The same applies to the community in which we live: without a healthy quality of life, we might question why we live here. In Peoria, the last year has seen progress in many areas—from new public art initiatives to a range of groundbreakings and ribbon-cuttings. We’ve witnessed the communities of Tazewell County recover from the 2013 tornadoes, and observed as downtown development began to take hold. We’ve seen record-setting passenger numbers at the Peoria International Airport, and watched as LISC introduced new, impactful initiatives on Peoria’s East Bluff and South Side. We expect great things to come in 2015, and iBi will be here to let you know about them!
In this issue, we get an update on the exciting applications of 3D printing in the healthcare arena, which just a few years ago, might have been considered science fiction! We also welcome Dr. Marcelo Soares to town as the new senior associate dean for research at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, with more than three decades of experience in genomics, genetics and cancer biology. Meanwhile, we bid farewell to Keith Steffen of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, a pivotal force in so much of this region’s growth over the last two decades, from Children’s Hospital of Illinois to the Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center and so much more.
As we were laying out this issue, the sidebar about medication management in our lead article really hit home with me. Just a week ago, I spent the night in the ICU after my mother was hospitalized for what we thought was a heart attack; we later learned the incident was complicated because she hadn’t been taking all of her medications. Fortunately, she is out of the hospital and feeling much better, but it was a stark reminder that “managing a person’s medication is the simplest thing we can do to help keep people well,” as geriatric care manager Sandi Kistner notes astutely.
Have a safe and healthy new year, everyone! iBi
