A recent $57,500 grant from the governor’s office will help Kishwaukee Community Hospital scrub out bioterrorism concerns.

In February, Gov. Rod Blagojevich awarded $14.3 million to hospitals across the state. The majority of the funds will be distributed by the Illinois Department of Public Health to hospitals that are developing plans to aid victims of bioterrorism.

Kishwaukee Community Hospital will use its cut to build a portable showering system to clean victims of a bioterrorism attack, said Sharon Emanuelson, the hospital’s spokeswoman. The hospital will build the system in-house, using equipment purchased from local stores.

The proposed facility will be able to handle the mass decontamination of 45 patients in the event of a bioterrorist attack, Emanuelson said. The project is set to begin in the spring, but Emanuelson said she does not know when it will be completed.

In addition to the shower system, a cargo trailer will be purchased for storage of the portable shower units, Emanuelson said.

Hospitals around the state are using the money to aid victims of terrorist attacks, Blagojevich said. Twelve hospitals in the state, the hospitals that smaller hospitals report to, each received $522,000.

“Since Sept. 11, hospitals have been more alert and are more concerned about communication between agencies,” Emanuelson said.

Last year, Kishwaukee Hospital received $12,000 to improve and increase the isolation capabilities in the hospital, Emanuelson said. The improvements helped ventilate the rooms and also to change the ventilation system to prevent viruses from traveling.

Valley West Community Hospital in Sandwich, Kishwaukee’s sister hospital, received $16,700 for similar bioterrorism measures, Emanuelson said.

Sex and money are linked to social anxiety and scandal, said Laura Kipnis, a Northwestern University media studies professor, on Tuesday night.

Kipnis’ presentation, “Scandalous Americans,” defined scandal.

Scandal, Kipnis said, pushes celebrities and public figures into notoriety by bringing a secret to light.

An example of such a scandal includes Linda Tripp, who secretly taped conversations with Monica Lewinsky, and David Brock. Brock initially broke the news regarding Tripp and Lewinsky.

Americans are drawn to scandal because of the humiliation they endure from birth and from potty training, Kipnis said. She referred to scandalous phrases associated with toilet training, such as “being in the s---.”

Sex and money make for the most popular scandals, such as adultery, Kipnis said.

“We live in a world punctuated by scarcity and anxiety,” Kipnis said.

The pleasure one takes in reading about scandal may come from a type of social masochism, or deriving pleasure from pain, Kipnis said.

In the case of a high-profile crime, people often will line up to confess, Kipnis said.

Near her speech’s end, she said the audience needs to uphold social standards.

“This could be you. Watch your step,” she said.