Together with faith and community leaders, elected officials, physicians and nurses, Advocate Health Care announced on December 17th that it will invest $1 billion to expand access to primary care, specialty care and wellness services on the South Side of Chicago. The plan calls for more locations across the South Side, more preventative programs and services, a new, state-of-the-art community hospital and more. This is one of the largest, long-term community-focused health care investments in the nation aimed at closing the 30-year life expectancy gap between individuals who reside on the South Side, and those residing and living longer on the North Side. The expansive investment in a wellness model is the direct result of an extensive community input process over much of 2024, which included more than 20 listening sessions and engaged hundreds of South Side residents. During these sessions, participants shared ideas and suggestions for improving access to outpatient and specialty care, using technology to improve care, providing robust health education and support for chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and building a state-of-the-art hospital to modernize inpatient care.