Health Committee

Spearheaded by the efforts of our promotoras de salud (health promoters) and local healthcare providers, the BPNN Health Committee promotes the physical and emotional wellness of Brighton Park residents. Recognizing that community members face barriers to accessing health promoting resources due to factors including immigration status and lack of insurance coverage, the BPNN Health Committee aims to address these barriers to ensure that medical and mental health services are affordable and accessible to individuals and families in our neighborhood. Grounded in our commitment to increasing access to and use of health care and mental health services, our Health Committee focuses on the following initiatives:

• Advocating for local, state, and national policies that expand access to insurance coverage, regardless of immigration status
• Campaigning for increased public investment in free, long-term mental health services in the city of Chicago
• Connecting community members to existing healthcare resources
• Expanding the mental health service infrastructure within our neighborhood
• Promoting healthy lifestyles by offering health workshops, cooking demonstrations, and exercise classes for Brighton Park residents

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Committee co-chairs:

• Lindsey Bailey, Centro Sanar
• Raul Garcia, Sinai Hospital

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Accomplishments:

• More than (57%) of surveyed adults rated their health as good, very good, or excellent through our annual community survey.
• We served 8,374 individuals through virtual health education workshops and
  10,022 individuals through online cooking demonstrations.
• We provided free, bilingual mental health services to 120 adults.
• Our free virtual exercise classes reached a total of 22,421 adults.
• We enrolled 84 new people in healthcare insurance.

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