Building Healthy Communities: COVID Initiative
Update: New COVID-19 Initiative Evaluation Report Available for October 2022 – March 2023
The Policy, Practice and Prevention Research Center (P3RC) at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health partnered with Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) to conduct a multi-method developmental evaluation of the COVID-19 Initiative.
The first evaluation report of the COVID-19 Initiative is now available.
Access the report here.
In April 2022, Cook County Department of Public Health announced the availability of $8.4 million in Building Healthy Communities (BHC) COVID-19 Response, Recovery, and Resiliency Initiative grant funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
BHC grant funding has been awarded to 52 Cook County organizations (39 for suburban Cook County and 13 for the City of Chicago) to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19, lessen the pandemic’s health, social, and economic impacts, and address COVID-19 health disparities.
This initiative will:
- increase access to resources, programs, and services to lessen the spread of COVID-19;
- support culturally- and linguistically-appropriate education and outreach;
- augment programs and services for mental health, positive youth development, and healthy food access; and
- improve working conditions and worker health and safety through coalition building and outreach and education
See table below for a listing of the 39 organizations serving CCDPH’s jurisdiction of suburban Cook County. Click here for more details about the strategies by funding source.
In addition, Cook County Health also awarded $1 million in grant funding to 13 community-based organizations serving the City of Chicago for mental health, food insecurity and positive youth development. Click here to view all grantees, funding amounts, strategies being used and areas being served across Cook County.
| Funded Organization | Organization website link | Organization Description or Mission | Organization Funding Source(s) and Strategy(ies) |
|---|---|---|---|
 Access Community Health Network | https://www.achn.net/ | Access Community Health Network partners with patients at all points of care, providing high quality, patient-centered health services accessible to all in their own communities. | CDC CCR - CHW |
 Access to Care (Suburban Primary Health Care Council) | https://accesstocare.org/ | Access to Care's mission is to facilitate access to primary health care services for residents of suburban Cook County and northwest Chicago who lack such access because of financial barriers. | CDC Health Equity - COVID Services & Programs CDC Health Equity - Organizational Hlth Literacy ARPA - Mental Health |
 Adults Active in Youth Development, Inc. | https://aayd.org/ | Adults Active in Youth Development provides parenting classes, individual and family counseling, adolescent violence prevention programs, full-day academic summer STEM programming, after-school care, homework assistance, middle school mentoring, youth employment training and placement to reduce violence inflicted by and upon at-risk youth. | ARPA - Positive Youth Dev. |
 Alivio Medical Center | https://www.aliviomedicalcenter.org/ | Alivio Medical Center is a bilingual, bicultural, nonprofit community health center, with locations throughout Chicago and suburban Cook County. Alivio Medical Center operates a comprehensive health center in Berwyn (including a walk-in wellness center) and serves the surrounding communities. | CDC CCR - CHW |
 Barbara W. Smith Family Life Center | https://www.bwsfamilylifecenter.org | The Barbara W. Smith Family Life Center (BWSFLC) is the not-for-profit at Covenant United Church of Christ. BWSFLC's mission is to provide individuals and families with valuable programsand resources to support human flourishing and well-being of families. | ARPA - Positive Youth Dev. |
 Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicag | www.catholiccharities.net | For more than 100 years, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago (Catholic Charities) has fulfilled the Church’s role in the mission of charity to anyone in need by providing compassionate, competent, and professional services that strengthen individuals, families, and communities based on the value and dignity of human life. | ARPA - Mental Health ARPA - Food Insecurity |
 Center of Concern | https://centerofconcern.org/ | The Center of Concern responds to the needs of older adults and other vulnerable community members. The agency’s mission is to provide housing solutions, support services, and counseling for older adults, people with disabilities, and others in need, enabling them to live with dignity and independence. | CDC Health Equity - COVID Programs & Services |
 Cousins Empowered Optimists- ( CEO Superheroes Collaborative) | https://www.ceosuperheroes.org/ | Cousins Empowered Optimists, is a 501(c)(3) organization that serves youth & families throughout the Chicagoland Area. Their mission is to empower youth and families through skill development in the areas of S.T.E.A.M., self wellness & golf. | ARPA - Positive Youth Dev. |
 Family Christian Health Center | https://familychc.com/ | Family Christian Health Center (FCHC) is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides integrated and comprehensive and integrated medical, dental and mental health services. FCHC’s mission is to provide excellent healthcare to the community that communicates in word and deed the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ. | CDC Health Equity - COVID Programs & Services CDC Health Equity - CHW Strategy |
 First Baptist Church of Melrose Park | https://www.firstbaptistchurchmp.com/ | First Baptist Church of Melrose Park is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides Christian ministry to the whole person, from cradle to grave. | CDC Health Equity - COVID Programs & Services ARPA - Mental Health |
 IN HIS HANDS RESOURCE CENTER INC. | https://ihhresources.com/ | In His Hands Resource Center Inc. (IHHRC) is a federally designated 501(c)(3) non-profit, incorporated in Illinois with a mission to facilitate sustained human and economic viabilityin underserved communities. | ARPA - Food Insecurity |
 Latino Alzheimers and Memory Disorders Alliance | https://www.latinoalzheimersalliance.org/ | Latino Alzheimers and Memory Disorders Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and engaging older persons and Latino caregivers by providing skill building training, and compassionate support programs. | CDC CCR - CHW |
 Live4Lali | https://live4lali.org/ | Live4Lali works to prevent substance use disorder through evidence-based harm reduction best practices, employing impacted individuals from local communities to provide peer to peer support and guidance. | ARPA - Mental Health IDPH - Org. Sustainability |
 Mobile C.A.R.E. Foundation | https://mobilecarechicago.org/ | Mobile Care Chicago (MCC) uses mobile medical clinics to assist children unable to accessnecessary specialty care for a chronic condition. For over 22 years, MCC has partnered withlocal schools to provide a convenient and trusted location for children who have complex needs but whose parents may not have the time, transportation or work flexibility to access brick-and-mortar clinics. | CDC CCR - CHW |
 National Kidney Foundation of Illinois (NKFI) | https://www.nkfi.org/ | The National Kidney Foundation of Illinois (NKFI) improves the health and well-being of people at risk for or affected by kidney disease across the State of Illinois through prevention, education, and empowerment. | CDC Health Equity - IL Pathways for Health CDC Health Equity - CHW Strategy |
 Northwest Compass, Inc | https://northwestcompass.org/ | Northwest Compass Inc. (“NWC”) is a 501(c)(3) organization that continues to provide various programs and services to the moderate-and low-income populationsexperiencing personal, economic and housing instability and homelessness in the NW suburbs in Cook County, for more than 35 years. Our mission is to enhance our community by providing emergency services, education, and empowerment which foster personal responsibility for those that are vulnerable or in crises. | ARPA - ARPA Food Insecurity ARPA - ARPA Positive Youth Dev. |
 Oak-Leyden Developmental Services | https://www.oak-leyden.org/ | Oak-Leyden provides developmental, social, housing, and vocational assistance to over 500 children, families, and adults with intellectual or developmental disability who live in Suburban Cook County. Oak-Leyden's mission is to help children and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities reach their highest potential. | CDC Health Equity - Org. Health Literacy IDPH - Org. Sustainability |
 P.A.S.O. - West Suburban Action Project | http://www.pasoaction.org/ | PASO is a community-based organization who looks to build a community in which its residents have equal access to opportunities that leads them to havefulfilling and dignified lives and where their rights are respected regardless of their immigration status. | CDC Health Equity - COVID Programs & Services CDC Health Equity - CHW Strategy |
 Partners for Our Communities | https://www.poc.news/ | Partners for Our Communities is the lead agency in this partnership with All Saints Food Pantry and Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH) to address food insecurity in NW Suburban Cook County. POC educates, supports, and improves the lives of immigrants and under-resourced individuals and families by providing resources and programs in case management, health & wellness, immigration, workforce development, youth & family engagement and activities, and adult leadership development. | ARPA - Food Insecurity |
 Pathlights | https://pathlights.org/ | For 47 years, Pathlights has been helping guide individuals down the path to safety and independence as they age. Each year, Pathlights serves more than 16,000 individuals in 20 communities of the southwest suburbs of Cook County, and collaborates with diverse partners and as a convener of conversation and action to promote policies that encourage a healthy aging community. | ARPA - Mental Health |
 Pillars Community Health | https://www.pillarscommunityhealth.org/ | Pillars Community Health is both a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and CARF-accredited Community Mental Health Center (CMHC), providing care through 3 service lines; 1) Health Center (primary medical, dental, integrated behavioral health), 2) Community mental health and substance use disorders, and 3) Domestic and Sexual violence. | CDC CCR - CHW |
 Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago | https://phimc.org/ | Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago (PHIMC) enhances the capacity of public health and healthcare systems to promote health equity and expand access to care. Through program implementation, organizational development, systems transformation, and fiscal management, PHIMC leads efforts to strengthen the public health infrastructure in Illinois. | ARPA - Positive Youth Dev. |
 Quinn Center of St. Eulalia | https://www.quinncenter.org/ | Founded in 2010, the Quinn Center emerged from the strengths, hopes, and aspirations of the parishioners of St. Eulalia Catholic Church to meet various challenges stemming from a lack of resources in these communities. The Quinn Center works to build an inclusive culture of justice, health, and peace in Proviso Township. | ARPA - Mental Health ARPA - Positive Youth Dev. |
 Real Foods Collective | https://www.provisopartners.com/ | Real Foods Collective (RFC) is a social enterprise incubated by Proviso Partners for Health (PP4H) in Maywood, seeking 501(c)(3) status. The aim of RFC is to invest in racial and economic justice and build a resilient local food system supporting low-income, Black and Latinx, and female food entrepreneurs while increasing food access. RFC's mission is to create economic opportunity through the power of food, community, and connection. | ARPA - Food Insecurity |
 Respond Now, Inc. | https://respondnow.org/ | Respond Now is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that serves a majority African Americanand Hispanic clientele in communities that have some of the highest Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) scores in suburban Cook County. Our mission is to battle poverty and food insecurity while maintaining client dignity and respect by providing ample free groceries and wrap-around case management services to any and all in need, including financial assistance for temporary emergencies and the provision of sound referrals and counseling for other services as needed on a per-client basis. | ARPA - Food Insecurity |
 Rincon Family Services | https://www.rinconfamilyservices.org/ | Founded in 1972, Rincon Family Services (RFS) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) community-based institution establishedby civic leaders, activists, clergy, elected officials, law enforcement and medical professionals to assist individuals recovering from substance use on the Near West Side of Chicago. Rincon became the first organization of its kindin the Latino community, and offered glimmers of hope and a haven for individuals escaping the havoc and devastation caused by drug addiction. | ARPA - Mental Health |
 Seasons Community Outreach Services NFP | http://www.seasons3and1.com/ | Seasons Community Outreach Services is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) agency that has provided social service, community outreach and education and resources in the South Suburban Community of Cook County since 2016. | CDC Health Equity - COVID Programs & Services |
 SGA Youth & Family Services | https://sga-youth.org/ | For more than 100 years, SGA Youth & Family Services has provided free and comprehensive services to children and families in Chicago’s most underserved neighborhoods. Collaborative partnerships, innovative programs, and measurable outcomes fuel SGA’s efforts to replace the cycle of poverty with the Cycle of Opportunity™, a continuum of comprehensive services at every stage of life from cradle to career. | ARPA - Mental Health ARPA - Food Insecurity ARPA - Positive Youth Dev. |
 Shoot Your Best Shot | https://shootyourbestshot.org/ | Shoot Your Best Shot, SYBS, is dedicated and committed to providing innovative programs that will teach youth to be leaders and not followers. Shoot Your Best Shoot is focusing in on the most under privileged youth residing on the Far South Side of Chicago Cook County Suburbs where communities that are surviving on limited resources and constantly seeking out a purpose for their life. | ARPA - Positive Youth Dev. |
 Sibling Leadership Network | https://siblingleadership.org/ | The Sibling Leadership Network (SLN) is a federally recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to provide siblings of individuals with disabilities the information, support and tools to advocate with their brothers and sisters and to promote the issues important to them and their entire families. | CDC Health Equity - COVID Programs & Services |
 Sisters Working It Out | https://www.sistersworkingitout.org/ | Sisters Working It Out (SWIO) has targeted its programs and services to meet the needs of these communities since inception. SWIO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to serving medically underserved and communities of color. Its mission is to be a catalyst in the elimination of health disparities across Chicagoland. | CDC Health Equity - COVID Programs & Services CDC Health Equity - IL Pathways for Health CDC Health Equity - CHW Strategy ARPA - Food Insecurity |
 Stonebridge Healthy Community Outreach Initiative | https://www.stonebridgehealthycommunity.org/ | Stonebridge Healthy Community Outreach Initiative (SHCOI), formerly Stonebridge Diabetes Support Group, is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization formed by a group of individuals withsimilar health conditions, such as Diabetes, known to be prevalent among African Americans. This group was established for the purpose of sharing resources, gathering information, and offering mutual support, services, and care to those diagnosed with diabetes from various communities. | IDPH - Org. Sustainability |
 TCA Health, Inc., NFP | https://www.tcahealth.org/ | TCA Health (TCA) has been a pillar of Chicago's Far South Side for over 50 years. With its main health center on the perimeter of Altgeld Gardens public housing community in Riverdale, the organization also operates a school health center in Riverdale at Carver Military Academy, a satellite center in Chatham, a mobile student health unit that travels throughout Chicago's south side, and four WIC sites, one at each community health center plus two additional locations within the service area. | CDC Health Equity - COVID Programs & Services CDC Health Equity - Org. Health Literacy CDC Health Equity - CHW Strategy CDC CCR - CHW |
 Thinking Beyond | https://www.facebook.com/Thinking-Beyond-543362369931496 | Thinking Beyond is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Thinking Beyond's mission is to support philanthropic and charitable organizations' projects with innovations. Thinking Beyond services the underserved in Cook County and the south suburbs, immigrants, and undocumented, Asian communities (South Asians, Pakistani, Chinese, Thai, Koreans, and other Asians) and faith-based organizations (Muslims, churches, etc.). | CDC Health Equity - COVID Programs & Services CDC Health Equity - Org. Health Literacy |
 Top Box Foods | https://www.topboxfoods.com/ | Top Box Foods is a community-based non-profit social enterprise with a simple purpose: to create access to a variety of healthy foods in Chicago’s underservedareas and food deserts. Founded as a mission-driven nonprofit in May 2012 to fight food insecurity in Chicago, Top Box Foods provides access to fresh fruits andvegetables and quality proteins at up to 40% off retail through a network of community partners in under-resourced neighborhoods across Cook County. | ARPA - Food Insecurity |
 Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center | https://www.tpoint.org/ | Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center has been serving the community with distinction for over 50 years. Turning Point is a non-profit outpatient mental health centerlocated in Skokie and serving children and adults with mental illness from throughout the Chicago metropolitan area with a mission to provide "solid support, when you need it most." | ARPA - Mental Health |
 Warehouse Workers for Justice | https://www.ww4j.org/ | Warehouse Workers for Justice is a worker center fighting for stable, family-supporting jobs in Chicagoland’s massive warehousing and distribution industry. Warehouse Workers for Justice serves low-wagewarehouse workers, who are disproportionately Black and Latinx, throughout the city of Chicago, the suburbs of Cook County, and Will County. | CDC Health Equity - Community Action for Worker Safety |
 Y. E. M. B. A., Incorporated | www.yemba-inc.org | Founded in 2007, YEMBA is a 15-year-old organization focused on empowering youththrough life skills mentoring in Oak Park. YEMBA’s mission is to educate our youth mentally, physically and spiritually with a lifelong learning and service experience through group mentorship that will equip them with knowledge and tools for leadership development andsuccess in life. | ARPA - Positive Youth Dev. |
 Youth Crossroads, Inc. | https://youthcrossroads.org | Since 1974 Youth Crossroads, Inc. (YC) has served thousands of at-risk youth ages 10 to 17. A leader in behavioral health and youth development services, it is our mission to “support youth, guiding them through life’s challenges, and inspiring them to discover new opportunities for personal development, healthy relationships, and positive community involvement.” | ARPA - Mental Health ARPA - Food Insecurity ARPA - Positive Youth Dev. |
Cook County Health also awarded an additional $1 million in grant funding to 13 community-based organizations serving the City of Chicago for mental health, food insecurity and positive youth development.
Updated July 3, 2024, 12:14 PM