An outpatient medical center will soon open at the long-awaited Ogden Commons development in North Lawndale.
One Lawndale Community Care and Surgery Center, run by Sinai Chicago at Ogden Commons, 2652 W. Ogden Ave., will begin accepting patients in early 2022. The medical center will be an anchor for the mixed-use development, which will include affordable housing units, a bank, a children’s museum, a grocery store, restaurants and retail storefronts.
The surgical and ambulatory center is designed to be a “full-service, one-stop-shop for all health care needs,” with an emphasis on preventative care that can reduce the prevalence of chronic illness, Sinai COO Airica Steed said.
By expanding outpatient services available to West Side residents, Sinai can help neighbors start to overcome the barriers that have made it difficult for many in the area to get quality medical care, leading to serious disparities in health outcomes, Steed said.
“Our goal is to keep you out of the hospital,” Steed said.
The medical center has specialized facilities ambulatory surgical center for outpatient procedures, a digestive health center and a renal dialysis center for kidney health. Preventative care offerings will include laboratory testing, imaging and electrocardiogram services.
The center will also have ambulatory clinical services for pain management, diabetes treatment, plastic surgery, orthopedics, behavioral health and rehabilitation.
“We wanted to address health disparities through inclusion, innovation and investment in our community,” said Karen Teitelbaum, CEO of Sinai Chicago. “Our vision for this project was to move beyond our physical walls to provide critical health and social services.”
Beyond clinical care, the center will offer wraparound services aimed at making preventative care more accessible. Sinai created a concierge care service and 24/7 nursing helpline to make it easier for patients to navigate the health care system and assist with transportation, emotional support, financial counseling and nutrition guidance.
Ogden Commons as a whole is designed to address some of the social conditions that lead to poor health outcomes, such as a lack of food access, a struggling local economy, poverty and housing instability.
The development will have several businesses and restaurants, including a Steak n’ Shake franchise and a Jamaican jerk restaurant, Ja Grill. There will be a café, Momentum Coffee, and a Wintrust Bank to improve access to financial services in the neighborhood.
Ogden Commons is also expected to have a museum that will provide neighborhood kids with fun and educational activities, as well as a grocery store to improve food access.
“This is a pivotal moment that 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,” Teitelbaum said.
CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org
