To your health

In an important step towards addressing health equity and enhancing community access to healthcare, Sinai Chicago will open a new outpatient center in mid-May within the new Ogden Commons development on Chicago’s West Side. The outpatient center–called One Lawndale Community Care and Surgery Center — is located at 2652 W. Ogden Avenue.

The $200 million Ogden Commons project is a mixed-use development project which includes housing, retail, and financial services. Sinai’s new facility provides a one-stop shop for critical community health care needs. In partnership with Habitat Company, Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, and the Chicago Housing Authority, Ogden Commons is the largest investment North Lawndale has seen in over a decade.

“We want to address health equity issues facing North Lawndale through inclusion, innovation, and investment in our community. Our vision for this project is to move beyond our physical walls to provide critical health and social services, and to form creative partnerships on community-focused initiatives to bring investment to the community,” said Karen Teitelbaum, President and CEO of Sinai Chicago. “This isn’t about bricks and mortar. It’s about access and inclusion for communities that have been on the outside looking in for far too long.”

Sinai and its partners transformed a vacant lot into a multi-use infrastructure to create opportunities for those who call North Lawndale home. The goal of the development, called Ogden Commons, is to bring real opportunity to the community to boost health care access, new jobs, housing availability, and investment.

Beyond the project partners, the effort has featured collaboration with the community, bringing both North and South Lawndale together to create a development that addresses needs in a way that respects and honors the people it serves, hence the name “One Lawndale.”

A community advisory group of 20-plus local leaders and individuals worked together with the project developers to address everything from service needs to color schemes, from job opportunities to restaurant choices. Project partners prioritized hiring local residents during construction and continue to work to provide job opportunities moving forward.

For Sinai Chicago, Ogden Commons offers an opportunity to expand critical outpatient services by adding a state-of-the-art medical facility to complement the existing Mount Sinai Hospital. The One Lawndale Community Care and Surgery Center offers residents access to expanded services for medical, surgical, and other crucial wellness needs. Services offered include an Ambulatory Surgical Center, a Digestive Health Center, and a Renal Dialysis Center.

Additionally, a Surgical and Ambulatory Concierge Care Center features personalized care navigation, 24/7 Nurse Care line, pre-admission testing, imaging, electrocardiogram (EKG), and anesthesia consultation. Also available are ambulatory clinical services such as pain management, diabetes, plastic surgery, orthopedics, behavioral health, and rehabilitation. Sinai Chicago will also add capacity and efficiency to its strong dialysis program to help those seeking treatment for kidney disease.

Overall, the services will make it easier for patients to navigate the health care system and get the transportation, emotional support, financial counseling, and nutrition guidance they need. This makes preventative care more accessible, decreasing infection rates and recovery times, and lowering healthcare costs, particularly for Medicaid and Medicare-funded patients with high rates of comorbidities.

Ogden Commons also features a Jamaican jerk restaurant, Ja Grill; Momentum Coffee, a locally-owned café; and a Wintrust Bank branch offering a full array of previously hard to find financial services for neighborhood residents.

“This project really embodies our commitment to working together to serve the needs of our community, one that has marked our work for a century, and guides us moving forward. I am delighted to celebrate and to honor the work of our project and community partners who contributed to the One Lawndale Community Care and Surgery Center ,” added Teitelbaum. “Together, we can truly make people healthier and their lives better.”

To book an appointment, visit sinaichicago.org

Sinai Chicago is a partner with the Jewish United Fund in serving our community.

Olivia Arns is Communications/Media Relations Specialist for Sinai Chicago.