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Noting that social determinants of health—like nutritious food and a place to call home—play a big role in health and well-being, the South Side Healthy Community Organization (SSHCO) today announced a significant investment in community resources as a key part of building health equity on Chicago’s South Side. Nearly one million dollars has been committed to local organizations that provide nutritious food, employment services, stable housing, emergency financial support and transportation services focused on getting South Side residents to and from medical appointments.

“We know that residents in certain areas of the city and state, including the South Side, live sicker and die much younger than their counterparts in more affluent zip codes, and we aim to change that for the long-term,” said Kimberly Hobson, CEO of the SSHCO. “As we were forming our plans, we heard loud and clear from the community of the important role social determinants of health play in wellness – people simply aren’t as healthy when they don’t have housing or employment or access to good food. So, a key part of our model from the beginning was developing a way to connect people to resources that can help.”

The SSHCO launched a competitive bid process to seek proposals from experienced South Side-serving social services and transportation organizations. The following organizations were awarded a one-year grant or contract with the SSHCO:

Dion’s Chicago Dream is dedicated to making an impact on food insecurity through Dream Deliveries, its flagship program which brings fresh produce right to the doorstep – providing five days’ worth of healthy food options every week at no cost to recipients. Dion’s Chicago Dream purchases the produce directly, so it is new and fresh for residents in need. The organization, anchored in Englewood, owns its vehicles and hires operations specialists, liaisons, and other workers from the communities they serve.

Christian Community Health Center is an FQHC that links quality health care and housing. CCHC provides supportive housing services that include interim and permanent placements. For SSHCO enrollees, CCHC plans to provide housing and case management services after hospital discharge, and help its clients with ongoing primary, dental and behavioral health care through referrals.

Phalanx Family Services located in West Pullman was chosen to provide employment services, with a focus on building self-sufficiency through jobs. Phalanx offers two dozen youth and adult programs that provide tools and resources required to both obtain and sustain employment. Support includes job readiness training, career search assistance and job placement opportunities. Phalanx also works to reduce the barriers to employment – like expenses for transportation, uniforms, skill development and wrap-around support.

Centro Comunitario Juan Diego (CCJD) provides multifaceted programming to serve the needs of the local South Chicago community, including health support, trainings and health fairs, utility assistance, and food pantry access. With the SSHCO grant, CCJD will increase its capacity in emergency resources to help South Side residents avoid a utility shut off, obtain clothing and footwear, receive emergency food services, and acquire transportation for mammogram screenings when needed. CCJD listens closely to […]

Five South Side groups receive grants to expand wellness programming

Five South Side groups are getting a boost in funding to give residents free services that aim to improve their quality of life.

Reset hears from South Side Healthy Community Organization about the new grant and how the money will help build health equity on the South Side.

GUEST: Lisa Cox, project lead of South Side Healthy Community Organization

LISTEN HERE 

Groups like Dion’s Chicago Dream and Trek World USA have been given grants from South Side Community Health Organization.

April 26, 2023

The University of Chicago Medicine provided $686.2 million in benefits and services to communities on Chicago’s South Side and in the south suburbs in fiscal 2022, according to the health system’s annual Community Benefit Report. This includes $586.7 million through the University of Chicago Medical Center and $99.5 million through UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial. Total investment increased by 13.1% over fiscal 2021.

Community benefit investments include uncompensated care for Medicare and Medicaid patients, financial assistance (charity care), unrecoverable patient debt, medical education and research, and other community support. Financial assistance (charity care) provided through the University of Chicago Medical Center increased 31.7%, up to $27 million.

“Through these investments, along with extensive community health programming and partnerships, UChicago Medicine has made health equity a strategic priority and a guiding organizational value,” said Brenda Battle, RN, BSN, MBA, who leads UChicago Medicine’s Urban Health Initiative and serves as the health system’s Senior Vice President for Community Health Transformation and its Chief Equity Officer. “We are investing in the health and viability of the communities we serve — now and in the years to come.”

Community benefit programs and partnerships are guided by the Urban Health Initiative, the Medical Center’s division that works with community organizations on health-related programs, research and services. UChicago Medicine’s Community Advisory Council, led by civic and faith leaders, also provides guidance to the Medical Center on key community health concerns, including racial disparities and social determinants of health. The Community Advisory Council provided instrumental guidance around the development of the Medical Center’s Level 1 Adult Trauma Center and Violence Recovery Program, both of which will recognize their five-year anniversaries in May 2023.

UChicago Medicine serves more than 626,000 residents in 28 neighborhoods on Chicago’s South Side and nearly 257,000 from 13 ZIP codes in the south suburbs. In these service areas, residents face significant health disparities contributing to shorter lifespans, higher incidence of chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and increased risk for trauma from community violence. These residents are also vulnerable to harmful social determinants of health, resulting in higher incidence of unemployment, poverty and food insecurity.

“Addressing deep-rooted health inequities requires leveraging strengths and investments across our health system and research community, and importantly, through partnerships connecting us to those who can benefit from UChicago Medicine’s health programming and resources,” said Battle. “Community partners are critical to the reach and effectiveness of these programs, and we are grateful for their work with us to make high-quality healthcare more accessible and equitable.”

The Community Benefit Report highlights some of these partnerships, including:

• The 13-member South Side Healthy Community Organization collaborative working to increase access to care;
• The street outreach initiative with Metropolitan Family Services and its Peace Academy to address intentional violence;

[…]

March 9, 2023

The South Side Healthy Community Organization (SSHCO) has announced a significant investment in community resources as a key part of building health equity on Chicago’s South Side. Nearly one million dollars has been committed to local organizations that provide nutritious food, employment services, stable housing, emergency financial support and transportation services focused on getting South Side residents to and from medical appointments. The SSHCO launched a competitive bid process to seek proposals from experienced South Side-serving social services and transportation organizations. The following organizations were awarded a one-year grant or contract with the SSHCO:

Dion’s Chicago Dream is dedicated to making an impact on food insecurity through Dream Deliveries, its flagship program which brings fresh produce right to the doorstep – providing five days’ worth of healthy food options every week at no cost to recipients.

Christian Community Health Center is an FQHC that links quality health care and housing. CCHC provides supportive housing services that include interim and permanent placements. For SSHCO enrollees, CCHC plans to provide housing and case management services after hospital discharge, and help its clients with ongoing primary, dental and behavioral health care through referrals.

Phalanx Family Services located in West Pullman was chosen to provide employment services, with a focus on building self-sufficiency through jobs. Phalanx offers two dozen youth and adult programs that provide tools and resources required to both obtain and sustain employment.

Centro Comunitario Juan Diego (CCJD) provides multifaceted programming to serve the needs of the local South Chicago community, including health support, trainings and health fairs, utility assistance, and food pantry access.

Trek World USA was awarded a contract with the SSHCO to provide non-emergency medical transportation to help South Side residents get to and from medical appointments. It is the first Black-owned healthcare technology company offering a digital on-demand non-emergency medical transport platform.

For more information, visit www.southsidehealthycommunity.com

We are excited to announce a second Request for Proposals (RFP) – this one to seek companies who can meet non-emergency medical transportation needs for our patients, a significant barrier to good health on the South Side. Click here to learn more.

We’ve issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for community-based support that can help address some of the critical social determinant needs of our patient population as we work to improve health equity and well-being. Eligible organizations must have submitted a Letter of Intent by October 24, 2022. Click here for more information.