CITY OF CHICAGO ANNOUNCES $9.3 MILLION INVESTMENT IN MENTAL HEALTH

Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot (pictured), along with the Chicago Department of Public Health recently announced a new Framework for Mental Health Equity that will include an additional $9.3 million in funding to expand access to mental health care in Chicago. Photo Credit: Provided by the Office of the Mayor of Chicago
Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot (pictured), along with the Chicago Department of Public Health recently announced a new Framework for Mental Health Equity that will include an additional $9.3 million in funding to expand access to mental health care in Chicago. Photo Credit: Provided by the Office of the Mayor of Chicago

City Of Chicago Announces $9.3 Million Investment In Mental Health

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

The Chicago Department of Public Health and the Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, recently unveiled the Framework for Mental Health Equity plan which was created to improve access to mental healthcare in Chicago. The plan includes $9.3 million in new funding that will expand mental health services at 20 healthcare centers, including the Englewood Mental Health Center located on 641 W. 63rd St.

The Englewood Mental Health Center is one of five City-run mental health clinics and the Chicago Department of Public Health’s new plan will provide investments and improvements at these facilities in addition to creating new funding opportunities for 15 publicly-funded clinics.

In a press release, city officials commented on the new initiative.

“The City understands that access to high-quality mental healthcare is absolutely vital, and we’re committed to building a system where everyone can get care when and where they need it,” said Mayor Lightfoot in a press release. “We also know that, historically, access has been lacking in too many communities, particularly those on our south and west sides. That’s why this framework prioritizes communities that have suffered from disinvestment.”

During her campaign, Mayor Lightfoot often spoke about the need for expanding access to affordable mental healthcare in Chicago and the ways that increased mental health care resources could positively impact communities that are affected by violence.

Aside from funding 20 public and nonprofit health centers in high needs neighborhoods, the new Framework for Mental Health Equity also creates violence prevention programming, invests in crisis prevention and response teams, and better coordinates the city’s mental health system to increase accessibility, according to information provided by the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Roderick Sawyer, 6th Ward Alderman and chairman of the Committee on Health and Human Relations added in a press release, “Mental health affects each and every Chicagoan, and we can no longer look the other way while residents suffer in silence.”

He continued, “We have an obligation to ensure all Chicagoans are connected with the mental health services they need and deserve. With these investments, we’re making a down payment on our promise to live up to that obligation.”

In 2018, about 178,000 adults in Chicago indicated that they needed mental health treatment at some point but did not receive services, according to data collected in the Chicago Department of Public Health’s 2018 Healthy Chicago survey. The goal of this new investment plan is to decrease the number of Chicagoans who don’t receive the mental health services they need.

To explore the services offered by the Chicago Department of Public Health, visit http://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdph.html.

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