Health Care and Economic Development Key Issues at CBA Meeting

Joseph Caldwell, vice chairman of Chatham Business Association (CBA), listens Tuesday morning as Rev., Dr. Jeanette Wilson of Rainbow Push addresses small business owners during CBA's monthly meeting.
Joseph Caldwell, vice chairman of Chatham Business Association (CBA), listens Tuesday morning as Rev., Dr. Jeanette Wilson of Rainbow Push addresses small business owners during CBA's monthly meeting.
Photo By: Photo by Deborah Bayliss

By Deborah Bayliss

As the Affordable Care Act 2014 deadline requiring all Americans have healthcare coverage grows nearer, Brain Porter, Land Lincoln Health’s, Education Outreach Analyst, served as keynote speaker for Chatham Business Association’s monthly meeting on Tuesday.

“We want to be proactively outreaching and a valuable resource,” Porter said as he addressed the audience of business owners who gathered at the South Central Community Center, 1021 E. 83rd St.

Porter, who was accompanied by another Land of Lincoln representative, shared information on healthcare programs available to small businesses.

Joseph Caldwell, CBA’s vice chairman opened the morning meeting saying that he was grateful to all the businesses in attendance. “You tell us what’s vital to you and we will make sure it happens,” Caldwell said, adding he can’t stress enough, the importance of having an economic arm in the community.

Caldwell also called on those in attendance to work to quell the violence that has taken over the area.

“I heard about the shootings (that occurred last night) this morning,” Caldwell said. “There are too many children with nothing to do. We can’t save them all but for those we can save we should be working to do that.”

Rev. Dr. Jeanette Wilson of Rainbow PUSH Coalition was also in attendance. Wilson said one of the reasons she attended Tuesday’s meeting was to re-establish the connection between CBA and PUSH and announced that PUSH, this summer, will convene African American businesses across the Midwest with a focus on healthcare.

“Drive through Chatham and there are foreclosures and shootings every day and boarded up buildings,” Wilson said. “It will only change if we have economic development in the neighborhood.”

Additionally, Wilson announced PUSH’s 42nd Annual International Convention scheduled to take place July 6-10 at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, 720 S. Michigan Ave. A Small Business Institute will take place July 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrepreneurs who want to learn growth strategies and cutting edge solutions for profit, should attend.

For cost and other information please visit the Rainbow PUSH website at www.rainbowpush.org.

For CBA announcements, please visit www.cbaworks.org.

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