According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in 2020, there were over half a million people experiencing homelessness on our streets and in shelters in America.  Seventy percent were individuals, and the remaining 30 percent were families with children.  They lived in every state and territory, and they include people from every gender, racial and ethnic group.    However, some groups are far more likely than others to become homeless.  In the same year, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress ..read more

    BACKGROUND:  According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in 2020, there were over half a million people experiencing homelessness on our streets and in shelters in America.  Seventy percent were individuals, and the remaining 30 percent were families with children.  They lived in every state and territory, and they include people from every gender, racial and ethnic group.  However, some groups are far more likely than others to become homeless.  In the same year, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Annual Homeless Assessment ..read more

We return this spring with a podcast reboot and begin with our Healthcare Justice Series with episodes that:   Focus on the social determinants of health  And highlight the needs of communities and populations experiencing barriers to health care    ..read more

In this episode, I’m talking with Clarita Santos, Executive Director of Community Health Initiatives at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. As Executive Director, Clarita advances Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois’ investment strategy in alignment with the Plan’s vision and enterprise imperatives to address critical community health issues, focusing on access to care, health equity and population health. We’ll be talking today about how the FHP brings value and impact to those served by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, and the vision for the health plan on investing in housing ..read more

The rapid consolidation of hospital systems across Illinois has been dominated by Catholic hospitals, making strong gains based on their financial strength.  With a growing share of hospitals now operating under the Ethical & Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, providers in these systems of care face limitations on the provision of family planning services for their patients and limited options for OB-GYN training as well. A recent University of Chicago report indicates there are a disproportionate number of low-income women in health plans served by these hospital ..read more

As hospitals across the state are consolidating through mergers and acquisitions to gain market share, many Catholic hospital systems have made strong gains based on their financial strength.  As a greater share of Illinois hospitals is operating under the Ethical & Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, a recent University of Chicago report indicates there are unintended consequences for women’s health and a disproportionate number of low-income women.  In this episode, we talk with maternal child health researcher and public health lecturer, Janine Hi ..read more

While the implications aren’t all immediately clear, our conversation with a public health sector leader will breakdown some of the key elements and outline ongoing advocacy and education campaigns that seek to support affected immigrant families and the organizations and institutions that provide direct services to those communities. In this episode, I’m talking with Luvia Quinones, Health Policy Director with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, or ICIRR. ICIRR, located in Chicago, Illinois, is dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal ..read more

Often in community development work, too many organizations are working in isolation from one another. According to the Collective Impact Forum, collective impact brings people together in a structured way to achieve social change.   In this two-part episode, I’ll be exploring the efficacy of the collective impact model from two perspectives: Philanthropy and Community Development. Today I’m talking with Tevonne Ellis (of Claretian Associates), who is the Network Coordinator for the South Chicago Neighborhood Network ..read more