Near North Health Service Corporation

The Near North Health Service Corporation, a Federally Qualified Health Center, has provided healthcare services to medically under-served, uninsured and low-income Chicagoans since 1966.

 

Near North Health Service Corporation (NNHSC) was born out of the need for high quality healthcare in the 1960s within the Cabrini-Green/West Town area of near north Chicago.  Community activist Alme Moody and other community organizations worked with Children’s Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Memorial Hospital to merge their two clinics and create Near North Health Service Corporation.

 

Since that time, NNHSC has grown from its first patient and health center to serving nearly 45,000 clinical and nonclinical patients at eight comprehensive health centers and three WIC (Women, Infants and Children) sites located in near north, west and south Chicago.  Our patients live in 68 zip code areas in and around Chicago, some traveling more than an hour to access healthcare. Core services include primary healthcare, behavioral health, nutrition and health education and nutrition vouchers, in addition to specialty care such as dental, vision and foot care.

 

Programs and services are available on a sliding fee scale, yet no one is turned away for inability to pay.  This is important because 51% of our patients have no health insurance while 43% are covered by Medicaid and 6% by Medicare.  In FY2011, we provided more than $9 million in free care.

 

Racial and ethnic minorities make up a large majority of Near North’s patient base, with African Americans constituting 69% and Hispanics 20% of people served.  Seventy-four percent (74%) of our patients live below the Federal Poverty Level ($22,350 annually for a family of four) and 96% live below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.  Most patients live in federally designated Medically Underserved Areas where there is a lack of primary care, mental health and dental providers and services.

 

The mission of NNHSC is to provide access to high quality healthcare to improve the health and well-being of the diverse populations and communities we serve. We are a culturally sensitive, patient centered community health center that empowers individuals through education and health prevention, regardless of one's ability to pay.

 

From its inception, NNHSC has maintained a community health perspective that seeks to identify the underlying cause of major health problems, and develop community-based, prevention-oriented solutions to address those problems. Our current programs and activities include:

• Medical Services (Internal Medicine, Women's Health, Pediatric care, Specialty vision, dental, cardiology and podiatry, and Health Education)
• Comprehensive Services (Medical Social Work, Family Support Services, Substance Abuse Treatment, and Youth Incentives)
• Nutrition Services (Cooking Matters, Medical Therapy Nutrition, Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program for pregnant and lactating mothers)

In addition to all our services, NNHSC has long-term partnerships and collaborations with dozens of community providers and healthcare organizations which provide a continuum of care for patients who need advanced programs and services not offered at our health centers.