MIDWEST HEALTH EQUITY COALITION AIMS TO IMPROVE HEALTHCARE ACCESS

A new health coalition has launched with the goal to support cost effective healthcare and increase access to healthcare for people of color, with a focus on seniors in the Midwest.

SAMHSA Proposes Update to Federal Rules to Expand Access to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment and Help Close Gap in Care

Changes Would Make Permanent COVID-Timed Medication Flexibilities, and Update Decades-Old Definitions and Standards for Opioid Treatment Programs at a time when fewer than 1 out 10A mericans can access treatment for substance use disorder.

Grassroots Coalition Launched by High School Students Advocates for Safer Streets and Smarter Crime Reduction Strategies

Students from Urban Prep Academy, Leo High School and Perspectives Charter Schools recently came together to form a grassroots coalition, Safe Streets Chicago, in cooperation with school leaders, parents, block club members and public safety advocates to raise support for residents to have a say in how to make their neighborhoods safe from gun violence.

OB/GYN HELPS WOMEN UNDERSTAND THEIR BODIES

Dr. Wendy Goodall McDonald was able to see an example of what she wanted to be when she was growing up. Her friend’s mother was an OB/GYN.

Pappas: Cook County property taxes due by December 30

Pay Online Before 11:59 p.m.to avoid penalties. Property owners must pay the Second Installment of their Cook County property taxes by Friday, December 30, 2022, to avoid late charges imposed by state law.

ACTOR TALKS ABOUT ROLE IN ‘DEAR EVAN HANSEN’

Jeffrey Cornelius started taking piano lessons when he was seven years old. That’s when his love of music began. He discovered theater when he was really young. His grandparents took him to a show. He saw his first show and he was hooked.

GOOD GREEN AWARDS ORGANIZATIONS WITH GRANT MONEY

Good Green, which is the cannabis flower brand owned by Green Thumb Industries, Inc., launched in 2021. The aim of the brand is to reinvest cannabis money back into communities that have been disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs. The Good Green Grant Program is one of the ways it works with a non-profit organization whose focus includes Good Green’s four pillars which include expungement, employment and education.

COURSE TEACHES ENTREPRENEURS TO MANAGE THEIR SMALL BUSINESS

Harold Washington College and the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce have launched Introduction to Small Business Management. The eight-week course is aimed at helping small business owners. On Tuesday, Dec. 6, there was a celebration for participants who completed the course in late November.

President Barack Obama Reflects on Tragedy to Transformation at Sandy Hook Promise Benefit Ahead of 10-Year Remembrance

On Tuesday, Dec. 6th, Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) hosted a benefit evening at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City to commemorate the 10-year remembrance of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. More than 450 supporters, advocates, and business leaders joined the event to honor the lives taken that tragic day – and celebrate the lifesaving impact of Sandy Hook Promise's Know the Signs programs.

Hyde Park Art Center presents DESTINATION/EL DESTINO: A DECADE OF GRAFT

Hyde Park Art Center, the renowned non-profit hub for contemporary art located on Chicago’s vibrant South Side, announces Destination/El Destino: a decade of GRAFT, the largest exhibition to date of the Puerto Rican artist, educator, and community organizer Edra Soto. Rooted in themes of cultural hybridity, the exhibition features a new large-scale commission of the artist’s GRAFT series with porous sculptures, documentary photographs, drawings, and games that activate the Art Center’s indoor/outdoor main gallery. Creating a playful and open environment for dialogue, transformation, and communal healing, Destination/El Destino: a decade of GRAFT is on view from April 23rd to August 6th.

PRIDE PIPE & SUPPLY MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST BLACK-OWNED HEATING, VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING COMPANY IN THE MIDWEST

Herman Pride announced the launch of Pride Pipe & Supply, the first Black-owned heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) company in the Midwest. The launch of the business includes a partnership with Trane, a world leader in air conditioning systems, services and solutions.

National Louis University Celebrates Upward-trending Undergraduate Enrollment as Challenges in Higher Education Persist

National Louis University, a Chicago-based institution providing educational opportunities to all types of learners for more than 135 years, welcomed the class of 2026 to its expanding community along with significant growth in Fall 2022 student enrollment.

Gun Violence Survivors and Advocates, Gun Sense Legislators Urge Passage of Critical Gun Safety Legislation

State Representative Bob Morgan and other legislators, Moms Demand Action and the Everytown Survivor Network, and gun violence survivors and advocates held a press conference urging passage of the Protect Illinois Communities Act, or HB 5855. Following the press conference, the House Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the legislation, which featured testimony from gun violence survivors in the Chicago area.

Bank of America Commits $13 Million to Chicago-Area Nonprofits

Bank of America announced it has committed $13 million in funding to more than 100 Chicago-area nonprofit organizations working to drive economic opportunity for individuals and families in underserved Chicagoland communities.

The Gift That Keeps Giving for Your Child This Holiday Season

Financial education is crucial to longterm success – and that education begins at an early age. Research suggests many of the habits we carry into adulthood are set by age seven. For parents, it’s important to lay a foundation early that children can build on. Gifting a child a bank account this holiday season is one step to promoting financial literacy, empowering them to learn and develop healthy savings goals and budgeting habits that can help set them up for future financial success.

8TH WARD ALDERMAN BRINGING TRANSFORMATIVE PROJECTS TO WARD

Alderman Michelle Harris has represented the 8th Ward for 16 years. Harris started off working in the 8th Ward office, where her aunt Lorraine Dixon, was the Alderman. She eventually became Dixon’s South Side Chief of Staff.

Olympic Medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee Wraps “The Lincoln Laureates” 2022 Season

As a world champion athlete in the heptathlon and long jump , Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee traveled the globe with a goal larger than sports: to return to her roots in Illinois and build a youth center to serve the community that raised her.

Dolton 149 “Breakfast with Santa” Brings Toys for Kids 1,000 Holiday Meal Boxes for Families

With no warning to residents, Santa Claus last week slipped past the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s radar, and made an early, unscheduled stop in Calumet City.

Illinois Tech Joins Chicago ARC as Founding Innovation Partner in Pursuit of Innovative and Equitable Health Care

The Chicago ARC and founding innovation partner Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) announced that they will come together to focus on equity in the management of chronic diseases and access to quality behavioral health services, including those for substance use disorder, as the first priorities for action using market-driven, community-informed solutions and the attraction of startups. Innovation and health care partners, which represent nearly 750 health care delivery and training locations across Illinois and neighboring states, gathered this week to set the strategic direction for the Chicago ARC venture collaborative at its first meeting.

Reaffirming Solidarity Between Blacks and Jews in America

I will not be silent on the issues of racial hatred, violence, and prejudice. I am speaking out publicly in support of the recent call by billionaire African American business leader and philanthropist, Robert F. Smith, to stand up against the resurgence of racism and antisemitism in America.