October 22, 2025
“Panelists at the Wellness West Forum. Left-to-Right are: Heidi Ortolaza-Alvear, CEO, IWS Family Health; Dr. Omar Lateef, President & CEO, Rush University Medical Center; and Brenda Palms, President & CEO, North Lawndale Employment Network.
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Wellness West Forum Calls for Unity in Fight for Health Equity
Healthcare and community leaders urge collaboration and vigilance to protect Chicago’s most vulnerable neighborhoods.
Inside Garfield Park Conservatory’s Horticulture Hall on Oct. 9, leaders of West Side health and social service community gathered for Wellness West’s fourth annual forum, “Reimagining Care: A Healthcare Transformation Blueprint.” The collective message was clear: Chicago’s West Side continues to bear a disproportionate burden of chronic disease and shortened life expectancy, and only durable, cross-sector collaboration, and a vigilant defense of the social safety net, will address this injustice.