By: Ashmar Mandou
A free health clinic opened its doors in the Back-of-the-Yards neighborhood this week. CommunityHealth, the nation’s largest volunteer-based free health center, opened its fourth location, CommunityHealth at The Resurrection Project (TRP), on March 17th. The new clinic is located at TRP’s Casa Hidalgo, 4600 S. Wood St., location in the Back-of-the-Yards neighborhood.
“We are rethinking space and place for point of care to ensure that every Chicago resident has a door to access high-quality health care closer to home. CommunityHealth is proud to partner with The Resurrection Project, who provide not only essential resources, but also a critical voice, for the community we both serve,” CommunityHealth CEO Steph Willding said.
According to Chicago Health Atlas, 29 percent of Chicago residents are living in poverty, and nearly 1 in 5 do not have health insurance. A goal of CommunityHealth’s clinic and microsites is to lower this disparity. This new microsite clinic will offer a variety of essential healthcare services, including doctor visits, lab work, medication pickup, and referrals to dental and specialty care to uninsured and underinsured adults in the neighborhood.
This expansion is a partnership between CommunityHealth and The Resurrection Project, a social impact organization dedicated to creating community ownership, building wealth, and providing resources to Chicago’s southwest neighborhoods. “We are deeply committed to providing critical services to families in the communities we serve. Providing healthcare through our partnership with CommunityHealth, especially to the most vulnerable, is critical to the well-being of the Back of the Yards neighborhood.” said Raul I. Raymundo, CEO and Co-Founder of The Resurrection Project. “This partnership reflects the mission of both organizations committed to investing in the health of families and communities across the city.”
The opening of this new microsite is part of CommunityHealth’s ongoing commitment to improving health equity and access to care in Chicago. “I am really happy to be here today for this collaboration between CommunityHealth and The Resurrection Project. I say that not just as an elected official for the district, but as a former patient of CommunityHealth and a daughter of a woman who worked for a very long time at CommunityHealth,” said State Senator Celina Villanueva. “It’s always been a part of my family’s DNA to be of service and whenever there are incredible things happening in the district we should be celebrating, especially in the middle of chaos and with everything that is going on in the world. It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate these achievements of people coming together and saying ‘we share similar values and beliefs in the access to healthcare for our communities.’” CommunityHealth does not discriminate based on race, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, or immigration status. They are committed to providing respectful, gender-affirming care and will not share personal health information with law enforcement without a court order. If you would like to learn more about CommunityHealth, visit www.communityhealth.org or contact lstarr@communityhealth.org.
Photo Credit: CommunityHealth
