Melissa Ellin

Health Reporter

Melissa Ellin is a reporter at WGLT and a Report for America corps member, focused on mental health coverage. You can reach Melissa at maelli5@ilstu.edu.

Melissa joined WGLT in 2023. Melissa graduated from Boston University. She previously reported for Boston.com and Metro West Daily News.

Addiction and Drug Use

Researchers hope a VR game can make people confident to respond to opioid overdoses

Melissa Ellin

Video games have come a long way. Some are pretty realistic, especially with virtual reality. Now, a group of researchers are hoping to incorporate this immersive gaming technology to teach people how to reverse an opioid overdose.
Mental Health

Sexually abusive calls burden 988 mental health crisis line counselors. They want more protection

Melissa Ellin

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline counselors help people who may be on the cusp of taking their own life. But some counselors say that they’re also facing verbal and sexual abuse from a small fraction of callers.