For Rev. Debra Davis of Chicago’s South Side, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is not just a concept – it’s reality. With the help of Access Community Health Network, Davis is now insured through CountyCare, Illinois’s new Medicaid program for adults. She has found a medical home at ACCESS Blue Island Family Health Center, where she manages her chronic health problems with regular visits to her physician.  [Read more]

Access Community Health Network CEO Donna Thompson has made the Pin-A-Sister™/Examinate Comadre™ a priority of her work as a health care leader. The campaign raises awareness of breast cancer and the importance of regular health screenings among African-African and Hispanic women and encourages them to promise each other that they will get mammograms.  Donna spoke with WLS-TV on May 10 about the importance of this campaign. [Read more] or [Watch the video]

Mother-child Realtor teams are surprisingly common — and effective — according to Tonya Corder, president of the Mainstreet Organization of Realtors and managing broker of Keller Williams Preferred Realty in Orland Park. “Parent-child teams can have a great synergy,” said Corder, who has both mother-son and mother-daughter teams working in her office. “A lot of times the kids are tech savvy and look at things differently, while the parents have the old-school people skills and knowledge of the real estate business.” [Read more]

The mother-and-son real estate broker team of Beverly Eckert and Brent Eckert has worked together since 2009. In October of that year Beverly was diagnosed with bladder cancer that required surgery followed by a months-long recovery period. “She basically said, ‘You have to quit your job and take over’ the business,” Eckert said. What was to have been a temporary arrangement blossomed into a full-fledged partnership between mother and son, handling listings and sales full time from the Keller Williams Realty office in Orland Park. [Read more]

Each year, Ohio companies that take part in the Energy Efficiency Program for Manufacturers save enough energy to power more than 30,000 homes. That’s equal to about $13 million in savings annually, said Chad Smith, deputy chief of the Office of Energy at the Ohio Development Services Agency. The program was recognized earlier this year with the with the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance’s Inspiring Efficiency Award for Innovation. [Read more]

East Bank Club’s registered dietitian Sarah Gottlieb helps others make nutritious food choices. In anticipation of her upcoming wedding this summer, she is sharing her bride-to-be advice for getting into shape based on her healthy diet and go-to workouts. [Read more]

The Adler School of Professional Psychology’s  Mental Health Impact Assessment study found that if employment policies are enforced and arrest records are not used in employment decisions, employability would increase for residents of underserved communities like Englewood. “Increasing employability improves the collective mental health and well-being of residents. It also makes it more likely that people will suffer less depression and psychological distress and feel a greater sense of connection with their community,” said Lynn Todman, executive director for the Adler School’s  Institute of Social Exclusion. [Read more]

The Adler School of Professional Psychology’s Institute on Social Exclusion (ISE) recently conducted a Mental Health Impact Assessment (MHIA).  With the results of this groundbreaking study, the ISE was able to show how updates to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission policy that clarifies how employers can use arrest records in employment decisions can increase employment opportunities and improve mental health in Chicago’s underserved Englewood neighborhood. [Read more]

The Adler School of Professional Psychology Institute on Social Exclusion (ISE) recently unveiled the results of its Mental Health Impact Assessment (MHIA), a first-of-its-kind study in the United States. The MHIA assesses how public policies affect the mental health and well-being of individuals and communities. This infographic helps explain why the MHIA matters.

Access Community Health Network (ACCESS) is now enrolling patients in CountyCare, a new Medicaid program for Cook County residents. ACCESS CEO Donna Thompson discusses CountyCare and the importance of this program in providing access to health care for Chicagoans on WBEZ’s The Afternoon Shift.