Blog

Each December, we recognize the dedication of our volunteers with a holiday party and awards ceremony. Though the festivities had to be hosted online this year, the event was nonetheless a heart-warming reminder of just how incredible our volunteers are. A definite...

In our final Volunteer Spotlight of 2021, we spoke with Dr. Babs Waldman, who has been with CommunityHealth for over 20 years! Dr. Waldman is an integral part of the CommunityHealth team, serving as our Volunteer Medical Director in addition to seeing her own patients...

My first day at CommunityHealth was November 11, 2019. It is hard to believe that it’s been two full years, and just as difficult to believe that it has only been two full years. After all, I started as the CEO just 121 days before the World Health Organization (WHO)...

Everyone knows that a healthy diet is one of the best forms of preventative medicine. Diabetes and high blood pressure are two of our most common diagnoses at CommunityHealth, and both conditions are significantly impacted by the food an individual eats. A proper diet...

In December of 2020, CommunityHealth lost long-time staff member Sara Villanueva. Her absence in the clinic is felt every day, but the warmth of her memory is alive and well. Sara worked at CommunityHealth for 13 years, overseeing the Front Desk before becoming the...

This month we talk with Dr. Joseph Hennessy, 2020 recipient of the Ilene Goodman Award. Dr. Hennessy is an Internal Medicine physician who completed medical school and training at Rush University, where he has been an attending physician since 1990. He is also on...

MATTER and YWCA Metropolitan Chicago recently partnered to provide mentorship and support to a handful of innovative startups that focus on eliminating the social, economic, and cultural barriers that prevent many Chicagoans from receiving adequate health care. Back...

We opened our first telehealth microsite at Onward Neighborhood House back in April. After about half a year of providing service in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood, let’s check in on how the microsite is doing! The microsite was designed to bring health care even...

CommunityHealth is thrilled to welcome our newest staff member, Paola Seguil! Today is her first day as the CommunityHealth Director of Clinic Operations. Paola is a healthcare improvement leader with 8 years’ experience in coaching and supporting clinical staff and...

This month we're learning more about Mary Bianchi Harrington, our 2020 Primary Care Provider of the year! Mary hails from Wilmette, IL, and is a Family Nurse Practitioner. She wears many hats at CommunityHealth - read on to learn more! If you could have any...

The COVID-19 vaccine has been available to adults since April 2021, under emergency use authorization. The vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech was fully approved by the FDA two months ago. As of October 18th, 2021, 57% of the United States is fully vaccinated. Areas...

It's no secret that the world seems pretty bleak right now. Despite the strides we've made nationally in vaccination distribution, COVID-19 is still ravaging the world. The rate of new cases globally is more around 36 times higher than it was back in March 2020, when...

In this volunteer spotlight, we learn more about Associate Board Member Meghan Phillipp! Our 2020 Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year, Meghan hails from the northside of Chicago and is the Executive Director of the Health Care Council of Chicago and Managing Director of...

We talked with Dr. Jewel Younge, our 2020 Clinical Preceptor of the Year, about her experiences at CommunityHealth, her background in education and healthcare, and what she gets out of working with us. Dr. Younge is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of...

September 15th was the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month! With over 200 volunteers fluent in Spanish, and 60% of our patients identifying as Hispanic, CommunityHealth is proud to be so strongly connected to Hispanic/Latinx communities across Chicago. If you're...

After 18 long months of empty seats. . .   . . .we've got onsite interpreters again! In March of 2020, CommunityHealth transitioned to a fully remote interpreting program to maintain the safety of our volunteers and patients amidst the pandemic. We're so proud of...

Greetings, CommunityHealth readers! My name is Alice Woo. I'm a recent graduate of Vassar College, and in July I joined the CommunityHealth team as the new Development and Communications Coordinator. Part of my job is writing for the CommunityHealth blog about our...

All In™ Cabaret presented by the CommunityHealth Associate Board September 22, 2021 | 7PM CST   The CommunityHealth Associate Board presents the annual All In™ Cabaret, a night of comedy and entertainment! We're so excited to feature puppet performer Chad the...

Recognizing Innovation's Vital Role in Helping Providers Improve Access and Outcomes co-presented by Accenture  September 23, 2021 | 4PM CST   Think about how easy it is to grab your phone and call up a friend, order a meal, or schedule a ride. Now imagine it...

Mental Health First Aid Training co-presented by American Muslim Health Professionals September 18, 2021 | 11AM CST   In continuation of our emphasis on mental health, CommunityHealth is proud to partner with the organization American Muslim Health Professionals...

Rethinking Space and Place for Care co-presented by Empowering Church Health Outreach September 16, 2021 | 11AM CST   The location where patients must go to receive care is at the heart of accessibility, and that means it's time to redesign the traditional place...

Cultivating Resiliency for Individuals and Communities in a Post-Pandemic World co-presented by Health Care Council of Chicago September 14, 2021 | 11AM CST   Mental health has been long-overlooked in the realm of health care, but as many people were exposed to...

Fictional Science: Imagining Healthy Futures for All co-presented by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago September 9th, 11am CST   Exactly one month from today is our second All In™ Chicago event!! We are thrilled that Aisha Davis, Director of Policy for the AIDS...

In this Spotlight, we learn more about Dr. LaMoreaux, our fantastic volunteer rheumatologist and 2020 Specialist of the Year! Kind, compassionate, and always willing to share his wisdom, Dr. LaMoreaux is a critical part of our team of volunteer providers and shares...

The Breakfast Summit: COVID-19's Footprint and Chicago's Next Steps September 1st, 9am CST   The annual Breakfast Summit is the first event of the All In™ Chicago series. Though it is happening virtually again this year, the Breakfast Summit is nonetheless an...

CommunityHealth's 7th annual All In™ Chicago campaign begins September 1st, and registration is open!   What is All In™ Chicago? All In™ Chicago is an incredible opportunity for members of our community to share in conversation and education in support of health...

CommunityHealth is now operating a telehealth satellite clinic located in Onward Neighborhood House, a social service organization in the medically underserved Belmont Cragin neighborhood. The first of its kind in Chicago, the site uses the power of telehealth to...

¿Qué es el comité de pacientes de CommunityHealth? 5 a 7...

This month we talked with Rocio Lopez Pardo, our 2020 Health Education Volunteer of the Year! Rocio assists our Health Education department as a Diabetes Educator, in addition to volunteering as a Spanish interpreter! Over the past 2.5 years, Rocio has served over 333...

This month we’re talking with Dr. Camille Spears, our 2020 Resident Physician of the Year. Dr. Spears is one of the many incredible residents who generously lends her time and expertise to CommunityHealth! Read on to learn more about her and how her experiences at...

At the start of the pandemic, some of our wonderful volunteers helped out with a temporary prescription delivery program to ensure our patients still had access to critical medications! We talked with Kelsey LaMartina, one of the Rx delivery volunteers, about her...

Ana Sofia Moreno-Mesa is one of the many dedicated medical students providing care to CommunityHealth patients. When the pandemic hit last year, she also stepped up to help secure food donations for patients. Read more about her in this special National Volunteer...

CommunityHealth volunteer optometrist Dr. David Tabak stepped up at the start of the pandemic, drastically ramping up the quantity of Diabetic Eye Exam reviews he completed so that we could continue to support our patients! When we had to put optometry on hold due to...

This month we talked to Zachary Nan, one of our 2020 clinic volunteers of the year! Zac has volunteered in multiple capacities, including as a triage volunteer and providing integral administrative support during the pandemic. He’s volunteered with CommunityHealth...

This month we talked to Patrycja Czarna, one of our 2020 Clinic Volunteers of the Year. A Medical Laboratory Scientist and Nursing Assistant at Rush University Medical Center, Patrycja has been with CommunityHealth since all the way back in 2014! She volunteers as a...

This month’s Spotlight features Tomasz Jurga, our 2020 Pharmacy Volunteer of the Year. Tomasz started at CommunityHealth in December 2018, and has since served 205 hours as a dedicated volunteer pharmacist! In a few sentences, tell us more about yourself and...