Join this upcoming webinar 'Aligning Population and Community Health To Advance Health Equity: Rush’s Response to COVID-19,' co-hosted by our Center for Health and Social Care Integration and the Illinois Health & Hospital Association on Wednesday August 12 (11am-12pm). Details and registration info here.

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CHICAGO — Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot today released the advisory report compiled by the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, which was established in April to advise city government as recovery planning efforts were underway amidst COVID-19. The Task Force was co-chaired by Mayor Lightfoot and former White House Chief of Staff Samuel Skinner and involved a group of more than 200 industry experts, regional government leaders, community-based partners, and policymakers. Over the past ten weeks, the Task Force members assembled a change study and an advisory report to provide critical insights to help Mayor Lightfoot as her administration works to balance a robust health response with a strategic economic and social response that addresses the unique challenges presented by COVID-19 – many of which underscore the challenges the city faces in the form of structural inequities.  

“I am deeply grateful for the hard work of the Recovery Task Force, and their commitment to doubling down on our mission of building a better Chicago that ends economic hardship, confronts racial inequities and unites all of the City’s residents,” said Mayor Lightfoot. "With their invaluable contributions we will transform the COVID-19 crisis into the once-in-a-generation opportunity that it presents to eliminate the deep, glaring chasms of inequity it has brought to the surface. While we don't know when this crisis will end, we do know that our recovery from it will not be reached with any short cuts or half measures."

The Task Force developed a set of 17 recommendations and four existing initiatives to advance a targeted set of outcomes for Chicago. More>

Researchers are developing models for more targeted closings (and reopenings) that would curb the spread of infection at a less severe economic cost. As COVID-19 cases took off in New York in March, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo imposed a lockdown of nonessential businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus, calling it “the most drastic action we can take.”   Now researchers say more targeted approaches — in New York and elsewhere — might have protected public health with less economic pain. Read more about this issue in the New York Times article here. ###

Reducing microaggressions and promoting interracial connection: The racial harmony workshop

by Monnica T. Williams, Jonathan W. Kanterc, Adriana Peñad, Terence H.W. Chingb, Linda Oshinb.

Dr. Monnica Williams has published over 100 academic papers, which includes peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, editorials, commentaries, and scientific reports. This page contains most of Dr. Williams' publications which have appeared in peer-reviewed scientific journals and edited volumes. It also includes some recent technical reports and commentaries. Where available, these can be downloaded as PDFs.

These works have an emphasis on psychopathology and cultural experiences. Among the journal articles and chapters are included papers focused on multiple ethnic groups (36), Black Americans (33), primarily White samples (19), Black/White differences (11), Hispanic Americans (5), and Asian groups (3). Seventy-one papers are empirical, with over three-quarters of these using data collected by Dr. Williams and her lab. Primary topics include OCD and related disorders (60), trauma (22), anxiety (19), substance use (10), and depression (7). She also has written 4 books, the most recent of which is focused on microaggressions in clinical care. 

Other articles and publications More>

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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we are left to wonder about the impact it will have on our health care system and our wellbeing. It can be difficult to predict our future. Our World of Data provides an context to look as we attempt to manage during this pandemic crisis. More>

“First in violence, deepest in dirt; loud, lawless, unlovely, ill-smelling, irreverent, new; an overgrown gawk of a village,” journalist Lincoln Steffens described the Windy City in 1903.1 From its start as a marshy portage for Native American and French trappers and traders, Chicago grew to a bustling metropolis of 2.7 million by the time influenza arrived on September 8, 1918, when a few sailors at the nearby Great Lakes Naval Training Station fell ill with the disease. A week later, seven army cadets from the Northwestern University SATC unit came down with influenza. Then, a few days after that, cases developed among cadets at the Lewis Institute SATC unit on South Hoyne Street in Chicago itself. The epidemic had begun. More>

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The health of Americans is not as good as it could be, despite large expenditures on healthcare. Our poorer health status creates costs and challenges for individuals, families, communities, and businesses, and can be a drag on the economy, as too many jobs remain unfilled and productivity is adversely affected. Many of our poor health problems are rooted in inadequate investments in prevention and unequal economic opportunities in our communities. In order to improve the health of Americans and help foster a more sustainable and equitable prosperity, the Office of the Surgeon General is implementing an initiative called “Community Health and Economic Prosperity” or “CHEP” for short.  Read about CHEP More> Download the infographic here ###

Social risk factors are deeply linked to health and wellbeing. Left unaddressed, they lead to poor and inequitable health outcomes that the United States healthcare system has to date not adequately been able to address.

For years, stakeholders in the greater Chicago metropolitan area have been doing innovative work to address gaps and improve health across diverse communities. In the last decade, health policy reform, changing demographics, & persistent health inequities...More>  Check out the video here.

The State of Health of Chicago event will be held on October 23, 2020. 

This annual event brings together leaders and thought leadership on key issues facing our community and our necessary response to promote health care and wellbeing for all. The virtual meeting will be held from 8:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. 

Check back with us for more details on this event. 

We are creating a committee to assist in planning this event. If you are interested in volunteering your time, please contact us at infostaff@iomc.org.

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News Release

June 11, 2020 

CHICAGO—The Institute of Medicine of Chicago (IOMC) announced its 2020-2021 Board of Governors and 15 New Fellows during its virtual 2020 Annual Meeting held on June 4, 2020. The 105-year-old organization with a long history of promoting health care and wellbeing equity presented ‘Three for Three: How Can We Transform, Drive and Impact the Health Care System Amid COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis.’

The seriousness of the global COVID-19 pandemic hit our local communities. Cook County has over 81, 250 cases and 3,880 deaths, and Chicago has over 47, 500 cases and 2,200 deaths (Cook County Public Health). The State of Illinois has about 126,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and over 6,000 deaths. Regrettably, the confirmed cases and deaths change each day.  Progress is slow; however, is improving due to many efforts. IOMC has made a difference in the past with the 1918 influenza pandemic and is addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The outstanding caliber of our directors and our fellows contribute to the needs of our community and focus on the building a strong intersection of public health, health care, and wellbeing. IOMC is working to eliminate the gaps of care and services in Chicagoland, and will continue to focus on the pressing issues of COVID-19, racism, and the socio-economic needs of the metropolitan Chicago community,” stated IOMC President Cheryl Rucker-Whitaker, MD, MPH.

Congratulations to the 2020-2021 Board of Governors

President     Cheryl Rucker-Whitaker, MD, MPH, NextLevel Health

Dr. Rucker-Whitaker is Founding Chairman and CEO of NextLevel Health; a Medicaid health insurance company dedicated to helping underserved populations access and manages Medicaid services.

Vice President     Raul Garza, MS, MBA, Aunt Martha’s Health & Wellness   

Garza is the President and CEO of Aunt Martha’s Health & Wellness, leading a $75 million system of integrated health care, community wellness, and child welfare services with more than 35 locations, including 23 community health centers across nine counties.

Treasurer     Richard Ferraro, MBA, CPA, Ferraro Healthcare Advisory Group

Ferraro is a trusted advisor to health system decision-makers and related investors, and as a project leader in a variety of engagement capacities on a national level for over 30 years.

Secretary     Lorenzo Pence, DO, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Dr. Pence oversees the staff that supports the new Osteopathic Principles Committee and the Review Committee for Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine. Before ACGME, he was with West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, and served in other senior leadership roles. 

2020-2021 Directors

·         Courtney Avery, MPH, Health Facilities & Services Review Board*

·         Caswell Evans, DDS, MPH, University of Illinois at Chicago

·         Claudia Fegan, MD, Cook County Health*

·         Jason Kane, MD, MS, University of Chicago 

·         Cheryl Larson, Midwest Business Group on Health

·         Pat Merryweather-Argues, MA, Project Patient Care*

·         Howard Nochumson, MA, Washington Square Health Foundation 

·         Janice Odiaga, DNP, Rush University*

·         Les Sandlow, MD, University of Illinois at Chicago

·         Mark Shields, MD, Guidehouse

·         Clark Stanford, DDS, PhD, MHA, University of Illinois Chicago, College of Dentistry*

·         Anita Stewart, MD, Blue Cross and Blue Shield

·         Neli Vazquez Rowland, A Safe Haven Foundation*

*New directors

Congratulations to the 2020 New Fellows!

·         Kathleen Bobay, PhD, RN

·         Lauren M. Byrne, MPH

·         Archana Chatterjee, MD, PhD

·         Eileen Collins, PhD, RN

·         Catherine Creticos, MD

·         William Ebomoyi, PhD

·         Earl Fredrick, MD, MBA

·         Jay Gandhi, DrPharm

·         Maryann Gierloff, RN, PhD

·         Catherine Kapella, MPH

·         Gayle Shier Kricke, MSW, PhD

·         Sandra Larson, PhD

·         Vemuri S. Murthy, MD, MS

·         Lee Schmidt, PhD, RN

·         Donna Thompson, RN

We would like to thank our sponsors, Northwestern Medicine® and University of Illinois, for their support making the annual meeting a success this year.

The Institute of Medicine of Chicago (IOMC) is an independent organization of distinguished leaders in the health field who collaborate to improve the health of the public. Drawing upon the expertise of a diverse membership and other regional leaders, the IOMC addresses critical health issues through a range of interdisciplinary approaches including education, research, communication of trusted information, and community engagement. With the health of the public at its core, IOMC is building new programs and services to better meet the needs of its members and the Chicagoland community. Visit www.iomc.org.

For more information contact:

Cheryl Irmiter, Executive Director

Institute of Medicine of Chicago   

312.709.2685                                                                                         

infostaff@iomc.org

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