Advocate Trinity Wants Community Input
Advocate Trinity Wants Community Input
By Tia Carol Jones
Advocate Trinity Hospital has been hosting community conversations to get feedback from the community on improving health and wellness. The input the hospital receives during these free conversations will help with future investments in the community.
The 128-year old hospital, which is located at 2320 E. 93rd St., has hosted three community conversations since last March across the community.
Dr. Michelle Y. Blakely, President of Advocate Trinity Hospital, said the hospital is hosting the conversations because it is committed to decreasing the healthcare gap that exists on the Southeast side of Chicago.
“We want to have conversations with those who live in our market to understand how we might deliver healthcare differently and better. We want to understand from them how we can improve health and wellness. More importantly, wellness for the residents on the Southeast side of Chicago, and the best way to do that is to listen to those we are hoping to serve,” Blakely said.
Blakely explained, on the North side of Chicago, the life expectancy is 90 years, and for people who live on the South side of the city, the life expectancy is 60 years. One of the drivers of the healthcare gap that exists in the city is the disproportionately high incidence of comorbidities – the simultaneous presence of two or more chronic conditions like heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which may be avoidable if people have access and the resources needed to achieve wellness.
The next community conversation will take place from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, April 12th, at the Discover Center, located at 8560 S. Cottage Grove.
Some of the topics that have been discussed and will be discussed at the April 12th event include: what will make it easier for the community to be healthy; what are some of the health services the community would like to see; and what are the difficulties they face in living their healthiest life.
During the first three meetings, community members have talked about access to urgent care, access to healthy foods, access to places where they could walk or engage in healthy activities like swimming – things that would make it easier for them to have healthier outcomes because they are engaging in activities that are healthy.
Blakely said the locations for the conversations were chosen based on partnerships the hospital has with leaders at these locations which include Imani Village, Greater Morning View Church and Compassion Baptist Church. Blakely said the hospital is open to partnering with other locations to host the community conversations in the future. She said it is very important to have partnerships within the community.
“We are committed to addressing the issues, but we know we can’t do it by ourselves. Some of what is needed has absolutely nothing to do with healthcare, but it has everything to do with contributors to health,” she said. She added that the hospital is excited about people who want to help them understand and confront the challenges in the community and who are willing to work with the hospital. “If we were out there on our own getting ahead of this without engaging others, it would fall flat, because you can’t plan for people without people.”
Blakely said the hospital is optimistic that part of what comes out of the feedback from the community will be a new hospital facility, as the current hospital building is 115 years old. That plan will be informed by the conversations that are taking place. Since wellness doesn’t take place in a hospital, the conversations will help the hospital understand what other kinds of partnerships it will engage in to complement the work being done in the hospital.
Those who are not able to attend the event, but still want to give their input, they can visit MyVoiceMyHealth.com. There will be other conversations that will take place and the dates for those will also be listed on the website.
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