A clinic for mothers with young children located in the heart of West Garfield Park’s Madison/Pulaski commercial corridor is moving to North Lawndale in December.
The clinic, located at 3932 W. Madison St., is operated by the Sinai Community Institute (SCI) in North Lawndale and plans to move to the Lawndale Christian Health Center’s (LCHC) Belle Whaley Center, 3812 W. Ogden Ave.
The clinic provides services for participants in the federal Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which provides support for poor and working-class mothers who are either pregnant or have children up to age 5.
According to Sinai, the services will remain the same and the new location will allow the clinic to expand its hours from three days a week to five days a week. The last day of service at the West Garfield Park space will be Dec. 17 and the clinic will start operating out of the Whaley Center on Dec. 20.
Sinai Community Institute develops and provides social services for residents within the hospital’s service area, which includes North Lawndale, West Garfield Park and East Garfield Park. As part of that, SCI operates several WIC clinics, but the West Garfield Park location is the only one north of the Eisenhower Expressway.
Like other clinics, it helps mothers buy healthy, nutritious foods for themselves and their children, offering nutritional counseling and help with applying for WIC financial benefits. Mothers can also get advice on breastfeeding and caring for children, health screenings for themselves and their kids, and referrals for other services.
The clinic will be moving into the heart of LCHC’s main campus. Sinai officials touted the fact that the clinic’s clients will be able to access the nearby medical facilities, including an immediate care clinic, a health and fitness center, an eye clinic and the main clinic.
The move would also improve services for LCHC’s existing patients and clients, officials said. According to its website, the Whaley Center already helps residents sign up for several aid programs, including the WIC program.
The new clinic will be located within easy walking distance of the Pulaski Pink Line ‘L’ station and CTA Bus Route 53, which serves Pulaski Road.
“We’re happy to be able to offer these important services for our community, in a convenient, easily-accessible location,” said Steve Foley, the director of SCI’s WIC services.
