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1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, CommunityHealth was founded in 1993 by Serafino
3 Garella, M.D., a board-certified Internist and Nephrologist,
4 as a direct response to the Chicago metro area community's lack
5 of access to reliable health care; and
 
6     WHEREAS, CommunityHealth operates an innovative model
7 supported by volunteerism and philanthropy, guiding it to be
8 the leader that defines excellence in delivering
9 comprehensive, patient-centered health care at no cost to
10 low-income, uninsured individuals and families in need of a
11 medical home; and
 
12     WHEREAS, CommunityHealth is dedicated to serving the
13 uninsured and underserved in Chicago and surrounding
14 communities, it has provided since its founding upwards of
15 170,000 medical and education visits for more than 30,000
16 uninsured men, women, and children; today, CommunityHealth
17 provides medical and educational visits for more than 7,000
18 patients a year; and
 
19     WHEREAS, With more than 650 volunteers, including 285
20 physicians from Chicago's leading health care institutions,
21 CommunityHealth represents a grassroots response to the needs
22 of the uninsured; in 2008, its volunteers donated more than

 

 

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1 42,000 hours of time; its innovative relationships with eight
2 Chicagoland medical schools and residency programs have
3 established CommunityHealth as an important medical-training
4 center; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Of the 1.3 million uninsured who live in the
6 Chicago metro area, like the vast majority of the uninsured,
7 most of CommunityHealth's patients are from working families;
8 specifically, 80% come from working families, all lack health
9 insurance, all are living at or below 250% of the federal
10 poverty level, 43% present one or more chronic health
11 conditions, many are new immigrants and don't speak English,
12 and several patients travel great distances to receive
13 CommunityHealth's free care; and
 
14     WHEREAS, In the beginning the storefront clinic was open
15 just a few hours per week, today after demand for services
16 ballooned and the number of healthcare volunteers grew,
17 CommunityHealth operates a clinic six days a week, including
18 four evenings and Saturdays, providing a broad range of primary
19 and specialty care, as well as education, health promotion and
20 case management services; all examinations, lab services and
21 medications are free; and
 
22     WHEREAS, Thanks to a successful capital campaign,
23 CommunityHealth owns the building that houses its clinic at

 

 

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1 2611 W. Chicago Avenue, which in 2005 was renamed the Lederman
2 Family Health Center after CommunityHealth's friend and
3 benefactor Sam Lederman; and
 
4     WHEREAS, CommunityHealth is also committed to being a voice
5 for the uninsured and collaborates with local and national
6 organizations that address the growing crisis of the uninsured;
7 through these efforts, it hopes to improve access to quality
8 affordable health care; and
 
9     WHEREAS, CommunityHealth operates almost entirely
10 dependent upon the private sector for support, with gifts and
11 grants from individuals, foundations, and corporations
12 accounting for more than 90% of our revenues; and
 
13     WHEREAS, CommunityHealth, through its comprehensive
14 patient services and many institutional affiliations, has
15 become a leader among free clinics nationwide; it offers an
16 innovative model for providing compassionate and comprehensive
17 medical care to the uninsured, and is the largest
18 volunteer-staffed free medical facility in Illinois;
19 therefore, be it
 
20     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL
21 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
22 CONCURRING HEREIN, that we applaud and honor CommunityHealth in

 

 

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1 its more than fifteen years of dedicated service to meeting the
2 needs of the uninsured in Illinois; and be it further
 
3     RESOLVED, That we urge the Department of Public Health, in
4 cooperation with the Departments of Healthcare and Family
5 Services and Human Services, to identify public-private
6 collaborative opportunities with CommunityHealth to continue
7 its mission to serving the uninsured; and be it further
 
8     RESOLVED, That the Department of Public Health shall issue
9 a report of identified collaborative opportunities to the
10 Governor and General Assembly, as well as copies of the report
11 sent to Directors of the Departments of Healthcare and Family
12 Services and Human Services, no later than January 2, 2010; and
13 be it further
 
14     RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be delivered to
15 the Governor, the Directors of the Departments of Public Health
16 and Healthcare and Family Services, and to the Secretary of
17 Human Services; and be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19 presented to CommunityHealth as a symbol of our respect and
20 esteem.