Hospital Stories
Hospitals and health systems across Illinois have been tackling health disparities for years. They've organized food drives, conducted home safety inspections and provided free care to Illinoisans in need.
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
Unemployment, school absenteeism and poor mental health are all linked to a lack of preventive and routine dental care, as families and individuals often neglect dental care if they can’t afford it.
AMITA Health Saint Francis Hospital
AMITA Health Saint Francis Hospital works with the Evanston Fire Department to provide vulnerable individuals with free in-home medical visits, health education, home safety inspections and more.
Carle Health
Carle Health is expanding access to care and immunizations through its Mobile Health Clinic, which provides a variety of services to residents in underserved neighborhoods.
Carle Health
Food insecurity can affect physical and mental health. Carle Health’s Mobile Market makes healthy food more accessible and affordable to residents in underserved areas.
Edward-Elmhurst Health
Edward-Elmhurst Health’s Voices of Diversity blog puts equity front and center. The system’s diverse staff are sharing real-life experiences to raise awareness and promote inclusion.
HSHS St. Elizabeth's Hospital
Since 2016, hundreds of community members have responded to the call from HSHS St. Elizabeth's Hospital for baby items for the Pregnancy Care Center located on the hospital’s Belleville campus.
Humboldt Park Health
The COVID-19 positivity rate was as high as 51% among patients tested at Humboldt Park Health. By the end of April, hospital leaders launched a drive-through community testing tent.
Jacksonville Memorial Hospital
After seeing a trend of ED pediatric asthma cases, leaders at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital launched a program to provide focused intervention and follow-up support for young asthma patients.
La Rabida Children's Hospital
Karmen, a high school freshman and patient of La Rabida Children's Hospital, was struggling with math and science, so the teen’s doctor recommended she work with a tutor at the hospital.
NorthShore University HealthSystem
Since 1996, NorthShore University HealthSystem has operated a school-based health clinic that improves the health and well-being of underserved adolescents.
Northwest Community Healthcare
Since 1998, Northwest Community Healthcare has provided healthcare, literacy education and other basic services to immigrants and low-income residents through its Community Resource Center.
Northwestern Medicine
Northwestern Medicine demonstrated its longstanding commitment to reducing health disparities and supporting at-risk residents during COVID-19.
OSF St. Luke Medical Center
In 2015, OSF HealthCare Saint Luke Medical Center began a free flu immunization program at the seven schools in Kewanee.
Rush University System for Health
Students on Chicago’s West Side are building skills and confidence with the help of mentors from Rush Education and Career Hub’s (REACH) MedSTEM Pathways program.
Lincoln Memorial Hospital
A local producer-only farmers market makes healthy choices easier than ever in Logan and eastern Mason counties—and is inclusive of every resident.
Sarah Bush Lincoln
The Peace Meal program fights food insecurity by providing seniors in east central and central Illinois with meals delivered to their home or served in religious congregations.
Sarah Bush Lincoln
A mobile mammography van from Sarah Bush Lincoln provides private exams to low-income patients, women who are incarcerated and other residents in central Illinois.
Silver Cross Hospital
The Silver Cross Healthy Community Commission has partnered with the Warren-Sharpe Community Center so children from low-income, high-risk families can create a community garden and urban farm.
Sarah Bush Lincoln
With dental health an important component of overall health, Sarah Bush Lincoln is improving access to dental services through its mobile unit and dental office.
St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center
Through its mobile unit, St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center in Chicago delivers COVID-19 care directly to patients’ homes, serving vulnerable South Side residents during difficult times.
Swedish Hospital Part of NorthShore
Staff at this Chicago hospital have partnered with the Center for Housing and Health to improve the lives of homeless individuals who frequently present to the hospital’s ED.
Taylorville Memorial Hospital
For children who lack dental care, a toothache can be a huge problem. To address the issue, hospital leaders spearheaded the creation of a workgroup with school officials and dentists.
The Loretto Hospital
A community safety net hospital, The Loretto Hospital began offering clinical trials in 2018. Hospital leaders are working hard to ensure minorities are represented in the trials.
Touchette Regional Hospital
Women in predominantly low-income communities often do not get mammograms or learn about early detection of breast cancer and its symptoms, putting them at a higher risk for the disease.
Touchette Regional Hospital
Volunteers from Touchette Regional Hospital recognized food insecurity as a major disparity in East St. Louis. Now, they’re delivering healthy meals by bicycle to neighbors in need.
UChicago Medicine
Asthma is one of the most common chronic health conditions affecting children. Chicago is among the most severely impacted urban areas with hospitalization rates nearly twice the national average.