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Chicago Family Health Center: A Case Study

Decent Essays

In 1977, Chicago Family Health Center—then known as Claretian Medical Center—opened its South Chicago clinic at 91st Street and Commercial Avenue. It was in response to the collapse of the steel industry that many of the South and Southeast Chicago residents depended on. When that industry failed in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, more than 43,000 area residents found themselves without jobs. The community’s medically underserved were limited to a city Department of Health storefront facility to meet nearly all of their health needs. The Claretian priests of the local Catholic Church recognized this need and brought together community residents and other stakeholders to create a health safety net that would provide quality healthcare for area residents. That year, it provided care to 400 community residents. Today, the health network includes locations in South Chicago, Pullman, East Side, Roseland and Chicago Lawn communities. In 2013, Chicago Family Health Center cared for more than 28,000 underserved, uninsured, and underinsured patients in surrounding areas.

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The project will increase the awareness of ACA benefits, increase enrollment of low-income minority populations in private insurance through the Marketplace or Medicaid/CHIP, and ultimately is expected to result in improved health in the target communities. Specific expected outcomes include: 1) increased understanding in the target population of the concept of insurance for healthcare and how to access the healthcare system; 2) increased patient knowledge regarding insurance plans and coverage options; 3) increased patient understanding of financial features of health plan options such as co-pays and deductibles; and 4) strengthened computer aptitude to access online ACA tools and the enrollment

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