Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness - Home page

The Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness

8/27/2009, 3:23 PM

The Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness is a broad coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving our community's health.

Our work is focused around eight health priorities in Humboldt Park: Asthma, Active Lifestyles, Behavioral Health, Diabetes, Health Careers, HIV/AIDS, Oral Health, and School Health.

We are dedicated to serving the Greater Humboldt Park community, encompassing the Chicago Community Areas of Humboldt Park and West Town. These northwest Chicago community areas are home to a diverse and vibrant population of approximately 153,000 individuals, who are predominantly Latino or African American.

The Community of Wellness formed from three community initiatives converging during 2005. These initiatives were the New Communities Program of LISC/Chicago (NCP), published reports from the Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI), and decisions among community leaders to prioritize health as an essential component of community development.

In May 2005, the Humboldt Park NCP plan named seven strategies addressing education, wellness, families, land use, youth, safety, and job training. The Community of Wellness was formalized around these strategies in 2005 and re-dedicated in 2009 to ensure implementation of the wellness strategy.

"Everyone Matters" a Success!

5/27/2009, 4:57 PM

Members of the Behavioral Health Task Force at the Wellness as a Way of Life Forum, May 16, 2009.

The Behavioral Health Task Force of the Community of Wellness organized a week of events from Monday, May 11^th through Saturday, May 16^th designed to raise awareness around depression in Humboldt Park entitled “Everyone Matters…Wellness as a Way of Life”.The week featured interactive workshops focused on different aspects of depression.

Many local organizations participated in the planning and execution of the week; Association House of Chicago, Casa Central, C4 (Community Counseling Centers of Chicago), Erie Family Health Center and Roberto Clemente High School all hosted events.

Events included two plays by Erasing the Distance (a non-profit group that sheds light on mental illness through theater), workshops focused on art therapy, depression in children and adolescents, and the impact of depression on the Latino community.

Wanda Figueroa addresses the forum audience.

The series concluded with the Wellness as a Way of Life Forum. The Forum began with a panel discussion, moderated by Viviana Ploper of C4. The panel began with speeches by Wanda Figueroa, the director of Behavioral Health Services at Association House and Carmen Casas, the Deputy Chief Probation Officer, Cook County Juvenile Court. Both speakers focused on the impact of depression on the greater community and the resources available to those in need of treatment for depression. Two community members then shared their personal experiences of dealing with depression and how they were able to seek treatment.

Steve Figueroa of Association House leads a workshop on depression and substance use.

Smaller group sessions facilitated by different organizations in the community followed the panel. The group sessions included presentations on post-partum depression, substance abuse, the positive impact of health lifestyles on depression, depression in seniors and art therapy. The forum concluded with a resource fair where participants could find out more about local resources related to behavioral health.

Daisy Del Valle of La Casa Norte shares resources with a participant.

The Behavioral Health Task Force hopes to make “Everyone Matters…Wellness as a Way of Life” a yearly event. For more information about the Task Force, please contact Vicki Hadaway: vhadaway@casacentral.org

These events were made possible through the generous support of LISC-Chicago.

Helping Her Live: Gaining Control of Breat Cancer

5/29/2009, 11:54 AM

The Helping Her Live/Apoyandola a Vivir (HHL) program at Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI) located in Mt. Sinai Hospital is committed to eliminating the disparities found in breast cancer mortality rates between minority and white women. Funded by the AVON Foundation the goal of the Helping Her Live program is to ensure that women in Humboldt Park and North Lawndale do not die unnecessarily from breast cancer.

The Helping Her Live project hopes to empower women with knowledge on breast health, help women who are 40 years and older obtain annual screenings, and work with women and healthcare facilities to eliminate and ensure delays in obtaining test results and ensure follow up as needed. The staff of HHL anticipates accomplishing these goals by providing free workshops and Hotline services.

Helping Her Live community health educators at the Wellness as a Way of Life Resource Fair.

Raymond V. Hall

HHL community health educators are available to make a 30 minute interactive presentation in Spanish or English for anyone in the community interested in learning about breast health. Workshops present information on breast health, how to get low cost or free mammogram in your area, what to do if you have an abnormal mammogram, how to resolve a suspicious result, and how to obtain necessary follow up treatment services.

The HHL hotline (1-877-437-5432) is designed to help women navigate the healthcare system in their area and find services that are accessible to them. The Hotline serves as a tool for scheduling mammography appointments, receiving free or low cost mammograms (if the caller is uninsured), understanding mammography results, reminding women of their annual mammograms, and providing callers with answers to any questions or concerns they may have regarding breast health.

To learn more about the HHL program visit www.HelpingHerLive.org or you can call 1 877 HER LIF 2 (1-877-437-5432). To learn more about the Sinai Urban Health Institute, visit the Web site at www.suhichicago.org

Download Reports Related to Our Health Priorities Here

12/18/2008, 3:16 PM

General

Sinai Health System's Improving Community Health Survey: Report I (Ten Key Findings).

This report presents ten key findings from what is likely the largest door-to-door, community health survey ever carried out in Chicago. It was conducted by the research branch of the Sinai Health System, the Sinai Urban Health Institute and presents information about 1,700 scientifically selected households in 6 Chicago community areas.

Sinai Health System's Improving Community Health Survey: Report 2 (Ten More Key Findings).

This report focuses on high blood pressure, arthritis, physical activity, healthy eating, food shopping, binge drinking and cancer screening in the same 6 community areas as Report 1.

New Communities Program (NCP)/LISC-Chicago Quality of Life Plan, "Humboldt Park: Staking Our Claim"

This plan was created through a comprehensive community planning process involving the NCP lead organization in Humboldt Park, Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation, and involved many residents, community organizations, area institutions and city agencies. This communal vision of a healthy and vibrant Humboldt Park includes not just planning but action, including 55 projects all claimed by lead agencies that are in different stages of implementation.

Asthma

Use of Lay Health Educators to Improve Asthma Management Among African American Children

This article describes the finding of a pilot project designed to impact of Lay Health Educators (LHE) in reducing asthma morbidity and improving the quality of life for inner-city African American children with poorly controlled asthma. Two Lay Educators were trained as a part of the study and did home visits to study participants 3-4 times over 6 months. The LHEs' gave individualized asthma education to every family. Participants who completed all sessions were found to have less frequent visits to the emergency room, improved quality of life, improved use of asthma medication and had fewer asthma triggers in the home.

Active Lifestyles

The Community Survey in Humboldt Park: Preventing Obesity and Improving Health.

This report was produced by CO-OP Humboldt Park (Community Organizing for Obesity Prevention in Humboldt Park), a project of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago's Children (CLOCC). The report is based on an obesity related survey given to both children and adults during the summer of 2005. The report focuses on the many complex causes of obesity and calls for the community of Humboldt Park to organize and educate residents about the importance nutrition and physical activity.

Diabetes

Disproportionate Impact of Diabetes in a Puerto Rican Community of Chicago

This study assesses the impact of diabetes on Puerto Ricans living in the Greater Humboldt Park community. Nationally 6.1% of adults in the U.S. have diabetes- amongst Puerto Ricans in Humboldt Park 20.8% have been diagnosed with diabetes by a physician. It is estimated that actual diabetes rates for this group could be as high as 31%.

Diabetes in Humboldt Park: A Call to Action

The Humboldt Park Diabetes Task Force was formed in response to issues raised by the paper: "Disproportionate Impact of Diabetes on a Puerto Rican Community of Chicago." The Call to Action report developed by the Diabetes Task Force focuses on organizing the community of Humboldt Park around the topic of Diabetes and presents recommendations to lessen the impact of diabetes.

HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS Call to Action Regarding HIV/AIDS Among Illinois’ Latino Communities:

In October of 2007 the Community of Wellness released this report, calling on community members and civic leaders to respond to inadequate HIV/AIDS funding and awareness within Illinois Latino communities.

The Call to Action project also revealed insights into the weaknesses of small organizations and small projects within larger organizations to adequately address HIV/AIDS in Latino communities.For many years, HIV/AIDS organizations serving Latinos in Greater Humboldt Park have struggled with limited ability to acquire grants, implement services effectively and retain enough staff over time.This project provided a forum in which organizational leaders started to consider alternative approaches to funding acquisition and service delivery.

Funders

12/16/2008, 9:23 AM

We are grateful to all our present and past funders, including:

Advocate Bethany Hospital Community Health Fund
AIDS Foundation of Chicago
Chicago Community Trust
CLOCC
Field Foundation Illinois Department of Public Health
LISC/New Communities Program
Northwestern University- Community Based Participatory Research Program
Norwegian American Hospital
Otho S. A. Sprague Memorial Institute
REI
University of Chicago, Dept. of Psychology