“Your health should not depend on your ZIP code,” said PCC Community Health Center CEO Alyssa Sianghio during remarks at the grand opening of PCC’s new health center on May 19.
Community members toured the new West Garfield Park facility, 4421 W. Lake St. It was developed through a partnership between PCC and Collaborative Bridges to help address longstanding healthcare inequities on the West Side, including an 18-year life expectancy gap between West Garfield Park and Lincoln Park residents. Issues of both mental health and physical will be addressed at the facility.
“We’ve talked about the difference between someone living in West Garfield Park and someone living in Lincoln Park,” said Alderman Jason Ervin of the 28th ward. “It’s almost an 18-year difference in life expectancy in a place 2.5 miles away.”
The center is designed as a “one-stop shop” where residents can access primary care, behavioral health services and other support resources in one location. Patients will be able to receive physicals, routine care and mental health support, while organizers say a pharmacy will eventually be added to the facility.
“People don’t have to use the emergency room as their primary care facility,” said Ervin.
A former factory building, the new center includes community meeting areas, a computer lab as well as medical facilities.
Healthcare leaders said the center’s integrated care model is intended to address both physical and behavioral health needs while reducing barriers to care for residents who often struggle to access consistent treatment.
“You can’t separate behavioral health from physical health,” said Dr. Sabina Wong, the center’s medical director.
Patrick Dombrowski, executive director of Collaborative Bridges, said the facility was created to support individuals facing severe mental health and substance use challenges who frequently rely on emergency rooms or inpatient psychiatric care.
“Our real charge is working with individuals that have acute behavioral health conditions who are continuously using hospital-based care, emergency rooms or inpatient psych,” Dombrowski said.
Representatives from PCC and Collaborative Bridges described the health center as a major investment in a community that has historically experienced disinvestment and limited access to healthcare resources.
“A lot of people that are not insured can use these resources,” said Lakeita Harris, a senior administrator at the center.
For many residents and workers, the opening also carried personal significance.
“I’ve been here 52 years, and I watched this building transform from a factory I used to work at to this healthcare place,” said one guest. “I’m very proud of this place.”
Others said having a healthcare facility embedded directly within the neighborhood could help residents feel like their community has real support.
“Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of primary care in the neighborhood,” said Traci Carodine, a former patient of PCC. “People don’t know where to go.”
Organizers said they hope the center will serve as a long-term investment in the health and stability of West Side residents while creating more accessible and community-centered approaches to care.