Durbin, Chicago Hospital Leaders Convene Meeting On Eight-Year Progress Of Chicago Heal Initiative

Durbin, Chicago Hospital Leaders Convene Meeting On Eight-Year Progress Of Chicago Heal Initiative

In 2018, Durbin partnered with 10 Chicago-area hospitals to establish the Chicago HEAL Initiative to address the root causes of gun violence

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today convened a meeting at Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center with the hospital CEOs that partnered with him on his Chicago HEAL Initiative to discuss the progress made thanks to the Initiative over the past eight years. Established by Durbin in 2018, the Chicago HEAL Initiative is a partnership between 10 of the largest hospitals serving Chicago with the aim to address the root causes of gun violence through economic, health, and community projects in 18 of Chicago's neighborhoods with the highest rates of violence and poverty.

Thanks to the Chicago HEAL Initiative, over the past eight years there has been a 69 percent increase in employment in the 18 HEAL neighborhoods-a total of 32,000 people hired, more than 15,000 Chicago Public School students in career pipeline programs, and more than 18,000 patients in trauma recovery programs.

During today's meeting, each hospital CEO provided an update about their hospital's efforts within the HEAL Initiative. Leaders from Rush BMO Institute for Health Equity, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, and University of Chicago Medicine also delivered a presentation on the Violent Crime Data Sharing Initiative, a partnership between the Chicago Department of Public Health, regional trauma centers, and Chicago-area hospitals to build, develop, and maintain a violent crime injury registry.

Durbin also offered his own reflections on establishing the Chicago HEAL Initiative and thanked each of the partners who worked alongside him to address gun violence in Chicago.

"It is hard to believe that it has been almost a decade since we came up with the Chicago HEAL Initiative. It arose from a common cause among all of you-a desire to treat and help victims of gun violence and trauma outside the operating room," Durbin said. "Since 2018, you have invested in your surrounding neighborhoods and brought thousands of jobs to communities facing the highest levels of violence. This is why the Chicago HEAL Initiative has become a national model for hospitals to engage the communities that surround them. Through your commitment to our city and this partnership, we have saved and impacted countless lives."

"The Chicago HEAL Initiative shows the power of collaboration and the vital role hospitals play in strengthening communities beyond the care they provide," said A.J. Wilhelmi, President and CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association. "Eight years later, our shared commitment has produced meaningful action and measurable impact, expanding economic opportunities, addressing health disparities and helping prevent violence. We commend Senator Durbin for his vision and leadership, and we remain focused on building on this progress to improve lives."

"Eight years ago, when Chicago was facing rising health disparities, Senator Durbin brought hospitals together in an unprecedented collaboration aimed at collective healing for our most distressed communities. Our shared efforts have contributed to historic community investments and a six-decade low in homicide rates. His efforts have also led to unprecedented hospital and community partnerships and continue to set a national example for how hospitals can not only treat the consequences of violence but also use their position as economic anchors to address its underlying causes. Senator Durbin's vision and legacy will be measured in the countless lives that have been saved in Chicago," said David Ansell, MD, senior vice president for community health equity at Rush University Medical Center.

"Senator Durbin has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improving the health and well-being of patients and communities across Chicagoland," said Howard Chrisman, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Northwestern Medicine. "Through the Chicago HEAL Initiative, he challenged health care organizations to come together, look beyond the walls of our hospitals and invest in the communities we serve. Eight years later, that vision continues to translate into greater access to care, new economic and career opportunities, and meaningful efforts to build healthier, safer communities. Northwestern Medicine is proud to stand with Senator Durbin and our fellow health systems in advancing this important work."

"Advocate Health Care has been a committed partner in the Chicago HEAL Initiative since its inception. We recognize that addressing the factors that contribute to violence requires a sustained commitment beyond the walls of our hospitals. It means listening to the communities most affected, supporting organizations already doing important work and investing in opportunities that can make a lasting difference. The progress of Chicago HEAL shows what is possible when hospitals and community organizations work together. We are proud of our role in this effort and remain committed to building on that progress," said Matthew Primack, president of Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

Photos from today's meeting are available here.

Over the last five years, Durbin has secured nearly $27 million in federal funding for the Chicago HEAL Initiative, including funding to provide supportive housing to participants of local hospital-based violence recovery programs; to establish a trauma recover center at Sinai Health System for victims of violence; and to support the expansion of Lurie Children's Hospital's new hospital-based violence recovery program, serving pediatric victims of violence with trauma-informed mental health and recovery services.

Additionally, because of the Chicago HEAL Initiative, there has been a 69 percent increase in annual new hires from target zip codes and more than 3,700 people have been served by case management through trauma and violence recovery programs.

Health systems involved in the Chicago HEAL Initiative include Advocate Health Care; Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago; Ascension; Cook County Health; Loyola Medicine; Northwestern Medicine; Rush University Medical Cetner; Sinai Chicago; UChicago Medicine; and UI Health.

Read more about Durbin's Chicago HEAL Initiative here.

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