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Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica

They Were the Pandemic’s Perfect Victims

The pandemic killed so many dialysis patients that their total number shrunk for the first time in nearly half a century. Few people took notice.

Citywide

A Patient In A Psychiatric Ward Was Seen On Video Possibly Being Sexually Assaulted. No One Reported It.

Roseland Community Hospital in Chicago kept quiet about a possible sexual assault of one patient by another in its psychiatric unit. Only after ProPublica asked questions did Illinois’ public health officials alert law enforcement.

Roseland, Pullman

Opioid Overdoses Keep Surging in Chicago, Killing Black People On The West Side

Half of Cook County’s confirmed opioid-related deaths have been among Black residents, even though they make up less than a quarter of the county’s population. Officials warn that the COVID-19 pandemic has overshadowed the crisis.

Austin, Garfield Park, North Lawndale

Overdose Deaths Have Skyrocketed in Chicago, And The Coronavirus Pandemic May Be Making It Worse

Opioid-related deaths in Cook County have doubled since this time last year, and similar increases are happening across the country. “If you’re alone, there’s nobody to give you the Narcan,” said one coroner.

Downtown

The First 100: COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn’t Have To.

In Chicago, 70 of the city’s 100 first recorded victims of COVID-19 were black. Their lives were rich, and their deaths cannot be dismissed as inevitable. Immediate factors could — and should — have been addressed.

Downtown

Immigrant Children Sent To Chicago Shelters Are Traumatized And Sick, In Some Instances With Chicken Pox or Tuberculosis

Hundreds of children are being detained in shelters run by Heartland Human Care Services, which says it has made changes since allegations that children were neglected and mistreated.

Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park

A Chicago Psychiatric Hospital Will Lose Federal Funding Over Safety and Abuse Issues Involving Children in State Care

At the same time, a federal judge said he will appoint a monitor to oversee the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. “The stakes cannot be higher,” the judge said.

Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park

DCFS Says It Will Stop Sending Children To Psychiatric Hospital Where Children Reported Abuse

Still, the Department of Children and Family Services said it would not seek the full independent investigation advocates had requested.

Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park

Psychiatric Hospital In Uptown Investigated Over Reports Alleging Abuse Of Children

"Most of the kids there are wards of the state. There is no one to rescue them."

Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park

As Months Pass In Chicago Shelters, Immigrant Children Contemplate Escape, Even Suicide

Internal documents reveal despair and tedium in one of the nation’s largest shelter networks for unaccompanied minors.

Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park

Records Reveal ‘Lax’ Supervision, Sexual Activity at Chicago-Area Shelters Housing Immigrant Children

Newly obtained documents provide details on troubling incidents, including children having sex in a TV room and two girls running away on a museum field trip.

Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park

‘Hidden in Plain Sight’: Hundreds Of Immigrant Children And Teens Housed in Opaque Network Of Chicago-Area Shelters

Documents and interviews reveal allegations of abuse, threats and inappropriate relationships.

Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park