Chicago: Update on Center for Women and Families...

Details of the 4/23 noon rally (in front of UIH, 1740 W Taylor Street) and 4/23, 7pm vigil (in front of clinic, 1858 West 18th St) are coming soon...stay tuned.

In case you didn't sign the petition:
UIC Students:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/uichealthcareforwomenandfamilies/
Community Supporter: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Rhealthcareforwomenandfamilies/index.html
UIC physician/provider:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/pilsenclinic/
UIC public health:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/sphhealthcareforwomenandfamilies/
UIC medicine:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savepilsenclinic/index.html

More Information about the Center for Women and Families...

The University of Illinois Health system is closing Center for Women and Families in Pilsen, located at 1858 West 18th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60608. It saw approximately 6500 patient visits this past year. The clinic provides needed prenatal and pediatric care for mainly Spanish speaking, low-income women and families, for whom distance from care will be a great obstacle due to financial, language, and cultural barriers. Closing this clinic is a direct contradiction of the UIC mission statement which states that UIC "focuses on healthcare for under-served areas along with the advancement of biomedical knowledge and practice." (more on this Urban Mission http://www.uic.edu/index.html/welcome.shtml)

It is within our power as students of this University to state first, that we do not accept this closing as a contradiction of the University's Urban Mission and, second, that we have been educated by the University of Illinois to understand that moving prenatal and pediatric care- OUT of a neighborhood and away from a vulnerable, low income population, is both ethically controversial and a recipe for adverse health outcomes.

For more information from the perspective of the community of Pilsen:http://www.extranews.net/news.php?nid=4692http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=32583

Detail of the services that the clinic provides:http://uillinoismedcenter.org/content.cfm/women_families