The Alliance for Health Equity is pleased to share our monthly newsletter for March 2021. Please send any opportunities, resources, or events to Lucy Peterson to be included in an upcoming newsletter. Thank you for your continued partnership!
Opportunities
- Illinois Institute of Technology, Thresholds
- Peer Health Navigator— The Peer Health Navigator (PHN) will work at Thresholds Bridge South in Chicago and will assist individuals who are experiencing serious mental illness with health and wellness goals, with a focus on obtaining health care services in the community.
- Peer Health Navigator Team Leader—The Team Leader- Peer Health Navigator will work at Thresholds Bridge South in Chicago and is responsible for the direct supervision of all the members of the Peer Health Navigator team in order to ensure quality service delivery to members and functions as the senior peer of the team.
- Inner City Muslim Action Network (IMAN)
- Grants Manager—Manages IMAN’s grant process, which includes working with and overseeing the grants team, researching ne opportunities, writing proposals and grant reporting.
- Strategic Initiatives Senior Manager—Leads the organization’s innovation and mission advancement opportunities such as Go Green on Racine. Senior Manager will help develop and advance initiatives.
- Family Physician—Serves as the primary care provider for patients across the age and gender spectrum, offering a wide range of healthcare services that place a strong emphasis on wellness and prevention while also providing high-quality chronic disease management.
- Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI)
- Associate Director of Evaluation—Work closely with the Director of Evaluation on project management, grant writing and reporting, relationship building, financial management, staff supervision, data analysis and evaluation and dissemination of research findings.
- Senior Manager of Community Engagement—Builds relationships with diverse audiences and leads community engagement and partnership building efforts within and outside SUHI/SHS.
- Program Manager, Evaluation—Works under the direction of the Director/Associate Director of Community Health Innovations and serves as lead evaluator with responsibilities including data and project management, grant reporting and writing, assisting with and leading publications, and presenting research findings.
- Community Engagement Manager—Oversees and coordinates SUHI’s community engagement efforts, serves as a liaison for SUHI partners, communicates best practices in community engagement and leads and facilitates SUHI’s Community Advisory Council.
- Community Health Worker I—Provides and coordinates health education, disease management education, assists individuals with navigating the health and social care systems and management services.
- Research Specialist—Assists in the management of data related to designated research projects, including the process of collecting, entering, and storing data.
- Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS)—position descriptions
- IDHS has shared several open positions across the state. Please review the position descriptions and if you or someone you know is interested, please email your resume to DHS.Recruitment@Illinois.gov
- Rush University Medical Center—position descriptions
- Rush is seeking Recovery Support Specialists for their Emergency Departments and Warm Hand-Off Outpatient Services in West Side, Oak Park and Aurora.
- Living Room Program—position description
- The Living Room Program is seeking a Certified Recovery Support Specialist for the Living Room at Independence Center (Waukegan, IL). Please email resumes to Fritz Gelin
- Chicago Homelessness and Health Response Group for Equity (CHHRGE)—volunteer opportunities
- Clinically trained students and professionals invited to help COVID-19 vaccinate at Oak Street Health Clinics. Sign up here
- Help distribute COVID-19 isolation center flyers to pharmacies and clinics. In person and virtually. Email triciaandrade5@gmail.com if interested
- Join the CHHRGE Education and Outreach Committee to brainstorm education and outreach modules for children in homeless shelters. Email chhrgevolunteers@gmail.com if interested
- Donate clothing to support homeless shelters, specifically scrubs, sweatshirts/pants, outerwear, boots and hangers. Pick up can be offered. Please email Abigail_m_bawden@rush.edu if interested
- Unite Us has opened a request for proposals from community based organizations (CBOs). CBO awardees will act as community conveners to help build out the Unite Us coordinated care network of health and social care providers. Deadline March 26th
- Comcast’s RISE Investment Fund is open for applications. This fund will award $1 million in grants to businesses owned by Black, Indigenous and People of Color in Chicago and Cook County. Businesses must be at least three years old, have twenty-five employees or less, and be majority owned by a person of color. Deadline March 14th
- Frontera Farmer Foundation has a grant available for mid-size farmers. Frontera Farmer Foundation will award grants for capital improvements of up to $12,000 to small and mid-size farmers in IL, WI, IN, and MI that sell their food products to customers in the Chicago area at farmers markets and otherwise. Farmers must have been in business for at least three years and must demonstrate how the grant will improve both their farm’s viability and the availability of locally grown food products in the Chicago area. Deadline March 14th
- USDA’s Organic Transitions Program (ORG) has put out a request for applications. The goal of ORG is to support the development and implementation of research, extension and higher education programs to improve the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers, as well as those who are adopting organic practices. Deadline March 15th
- USDA’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) has put out a request for applications. This grant program presents the opportunity to bring together stakeholders from various parts of the food and healthcare systems to foster understanding of how they might improve the health and nutrition status of participating households. Deadline March 16th
- USDA’s Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) is now available. The VAPG program helps agricultural producers enter value-added activities related to the processing and marketing of new products. The goals of this program are to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities and increase producer income. Deadline March 22nd
- Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities (ARCC) 2021 Research Pilot Seed Grants are open
- Research Pilot Seed Grants These grants are to advance the work of existing community-academic partnerships that have prior collaborative experience to conduct preliminary research activities and develop engaged research proposals for external research funding. Seed grant info webinar will be held March 10th from 3-4pm. Deadline April 29th
- Partnership Development Seed Grants Cycle 2 These grants support newly developing partnerships between communities and researchers for strategies including relationship building, creation of partnership structure, exploration of shared areas of interest, research capacity development, and/or examining and taking steps to address issues of bias and racism in research and partnerships. Please see grant info webinar slides and recording for more information. Deadline May 27th
- Logan Square, Avondale, and Hermosa (LSAH) Mental Health Services Program Governing Commission has opened a request for proposals. The Commission invites the submission of proposals to identify a qualified candidate to establish and operate a community expanded mental health services center as part of the Community Expanded Mental Health Services Act (405 ILCS 22/). Deadline May 17th
- Telligen Community Initiative (TCI) in partnership with NowPow announces a new funding opportunity. This special TCI grant will cover the start-up costs and one year of membership for organizations to participate in community-connecting work. Please note this opportunity is only available to Illinois and Colorado organizations at this time. No deadline for applying but number of grants available is limited
- The Collaborative for Community Wellness is seeking community residents’ input on their experiences accessing mental health services in Chicago. Please respond to and share the survey in English or Spanish.
Resources
- AHE has developed a new webpage with equity-focused COVID-19 vaccine resources. Partners are invited to share this webpage broadly with their networks and send any additional resources that should be included to Lucy Peterson.
- Societal Factors that Influence Health: A Framework for Hospitals The American Heart Association (AHA) developed a framework to guide hospitals’ strategies to address patients’ social needs, social determinants of health in their communities, and systemic causes that lead to health inequities so the entire field can have conversations around these issues.
- Health Beyond Medicine: Report Highlights Attitudes about Health Equity, Social Determinants of Health The Root Cause Coalition recently released findings from its latest consumer insights research, which underscores the need for effective communication strategies about social determinants of health. Report brief is linked in title and full report can be accessed here.
- Catholic Health Association Announces New Initiative on Racism, Health Disparities The Catholic Health Association recently announced a new initiative to confront racism by achieving health equity and has called on 23 national health care systems to pledge their commitment to confront systemic racism. Resources for partners and information on the collaborative can be accessed on their website (linked in title).
- Center for American Progress: The Basic Facts About Children in Poverty The child poverty rate has continued to increase since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic according to this study, which has both short- and long-term impacts on the health and development of children. This report outlines currently available data and provides recommendations for providers working to confront child poverty.
- Don’t Deny Me Campaign The Kennedy Forum has developed several campaign posters to advertise the Don’t Deny Me Campaign, which aims to create a consumer-driven movement to demand parity rights and save lives.
- GCFD has Developed Outreach Resources on Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) P-EBT provides $6.82 per day in grocery benefits to eligible children for days they lack access to an in-school meal. The program will provide benefits retroactive to the start of the school year, so this is an important resource for hard hit families. Printable FAQ sheets are available in English and Spanish.
- Strengthening Chicago’s Youth (SCY) invites input on their draft policy agenda. Please review and submit comments to Interim Executive Director, Leslie Helmcamp, by Monday, March 8th.
- New Voices of Child Health in Chicago Report available: Parent-Child Communication about Substance Abuse. This new Voices of Child Health report from Lurie Children’s Hospital focuses on parents’ communication with their children about substance use. Parents were asked questions about youth substance use as well as questions about their family and their family’s health.
- Voices for Healthy Kids and the American Heart Association have published the 2021 Racial Equity in Public Policy Message Guide. This guide walks through key messages and tips for advocates to use with decision-makers to advance the conversation on racial equity, link racial inequity and structural racism to policy and garner support for specific racial equity language in policy.
Events
Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center 20th Annual Town Hall Meeting
Friday, March 5th, 9am-10am—Virtual
A panel of elected officials and local experts will discuss mental health care access and the impact of the pandemic and of current political and economic factors on mental health services.
Register here
Obesity Care, COVID and Communities of Color
Friday, March 5th, 11am—Virtual
Please join the Obesity Care Advocacy Network, as a part of Obesity Care Week, for a briefing on the importance of the obesity continuum of care, including the need for access to evidence-based obesity treatments and preventative interventions.
Register here
Reimagined in America: Advancing Food Justice
Friday, March 5th, 12:30pm—Virtual
Hosted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this webinar will discuss what U.S. communities can learn from countries like Brazil and Malawi about building food systems rooted in equity that prevent hunger, improve health and well-being for all, and protect our planet.
Register here
Leadership and Policy: Actions to Address Racism as a Public Health Issue
Friday, March 5th, 12:00-1:15pm—Virtual
This session will feature public health leaders discussing the fundamental drivers of health inequities and how public health agencies can advance equity-driven policy actions. Participants should expect to walk away with innovative policy solutions to narrow the gap in health inequalities.
Register here
From Food Insecurity to Food Equity: A Roadmap to End Hunger in Illinois
Wednesday, March 10th, 2:30pm—Virtual
The Illinois Commission to End Hunger will release their report during this webinar, which is an action plan to help end hunger in the state. The report describes barriers that prevent people from accessing food programs and food retail and lifts up three strategies for ensuring equitable access to food. The webinar will discuss the report with a small panel.
Register here
The Science of Suicide Prevention: New Strategies for Understanding and Intervening
Tuesday, March 16th, 11am-4pm—Virtual
Hosted by the University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center, this webinar will share the latest evidence-based suicide prevention research, facilitate new collaborations, and explore new ideas for suicide prevention.
Register here
Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness
Friday, March 19th, 1:30pm—Virtual
This presentation will explore factors that lead to social isolation and loneliness among adolescents; will determine how both physical and emotional health can be influenced; and will discuss ways to improve social integration and support in order to improve outcomes and life satisfaction for adolescents.
Register here
Research Council Meeting—Housing and Food Insecurity: COVID-19 and Beyond
Tuesday, March 23rd, 3pm—Virtual
The city’s Research Council will convene community-based organizations and research partners to discuss needs, gaps, and potential solutions related to food and housing in order to develop research questions for projects. Ideally, these conversations will also lead to community-academic research partnerships. Please see flyer for more details.
Register here
Virtual Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) Fundamentals Training—Parts 1 & 2
*Part 1 dates—Monday, March 22nd, 9am-12pm or Wednesday, March 24th, 1-4pm
*Part 2 dates—Monday, March 29th, 9am-12pm or Wednesday, March 31st, 1-4pm
Hosted by IDHS and the DMH Bureau of Wellness and Recovery Services, these virtual trainings will be open to those who do not yet have their CRSS credential and will be provided through the Illinois Certification Board (2.75 CEUs for each Part = 5.5 total). Those interested in the training are encouraged to watch the CRSS Orientation video in preparation. Please only register for one date for part one and one date for part two using the links below.
Part 1: March 22nd or March 24th Part 2: March 29th or March 31st
Virtual Food and Farm Week of Action
April 19th-22nd—Virtual
Join Illinois Stewardship Alliance’s first ever Virtual Food & Farm Week of Action. We’ll kick things off on April 19th with a virtual meeting featuring opening addresses from legislators, a review of our legislative agenda, tips and talking points when talking to legislators, and all the materials you need to contact your legislators on the issues you care about. We’ll continue throughout the week with constituent meetings where you’ll have the opportunity to meet with your legislator in-person via Zoom.
Register here
Grand Rounds: Universal Screening and Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Hospital Systems
Virtual
In collaboration with subject matter experts and presented by Jessica Richardson MD, UI Miles Square Health Co-Director of Behavioral and Addiction Medicine, this 20-30 minute presentation is intended for hospital leadership including clinical leads who are interested in learning more about Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) care in hospital settings. This presentation is a great opportunity to engage leadership who would like more information on the evidence, cost analysis, legality, treatment overview, and outcomes of treating people with OUD. In order to receive CMEs your hospital must schedule this presentation 30-45 days in advance.
Contact Nikki Carter to schedule.
Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Program: Free Trauma Trainings
Virtual
Catholic Charities is offering free trauma trainings to schools, community members, organizations, hospitals, etc. in Lake and Cook Counties. These customized trainings will focus on community violence. Please see the flyer for more details.
Contact Gina Young if interested (phone: 773.677.3384)