PlayStreets Week

PlayStreets, a CDPH initiative focusing on a holistic approach to physical and mental health, closes specific neighborhood streets to traffic throughout the summer months for three or more hours to transform communities into safe, supervised play areas for families to stay active and healthy. PlayStreets Week, July 22 through 28, highlights communities in Chicago that have been impacted by violence, and the organizations dedicated to serving the children and families in these areas with sports activities, games, bounce houses, dancing, fitness classes, healthy snacks, and more. A full schedule of events can be found at CSCC X PlayStreets Safe Space Activations.

Healing Arts Summer Celebration

Chicago, along with 17 cities across the nation, will participate in the Arts for Every Body campaign on Saturday, July 27 – demonstrating how arts participation impacts physical and mental health and community connectedness.

Healing Arts Chicago, a partnership between CDPH and DCASE which has embedded ten artists in five City mental health clinics, celebrates Arts for EveryBody by hosting a city-wide creative summit featuring artists, community and health organizations, and other stakeholders in a day of making, learning, and discussion through workshops, talks, performances, and other forms of activation. The free event, held at Malcolm X College from 10am to 5pm, will include a series of panel discussions on the future of the art, health, and wellness ecosystem featuring content area experts, including actor, producer and writer Andre Royo. Registration: City of Chicago :: Healing Arts Chicago

IMAN will celebrate Arts for EveryBody through their work to “reimagine the world as it could be,” by centering the historically disinvested neighborhood of Englewood with a mini-festival in the newly developed Go Green Griot Plaza, a previously abandoned lot. This free outdoor celebration, from 4pm to 8pm will feature headliners Vic Mensa, aja monet, Brittany Carter, Bucket Boys, an outdoor skating rink, a communal drumming circle, live music, storytelling, dance and poetry-making, a double-dutch demo, food samples, cooking demonstrations, interactive murals and more!

CDPH and CPS Partner for Student Mental Health

On Friday, August 2, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and CDPH will convene a Back-to-School Mental Health Provider conference. This free, 1-day, public event will support providers and community-based mental health professionals who are supporting schools to break down barriers that interfere with student referrals or starting services. The primary goal of the gathering is to mobilize school-based and local mental health providers receiving student referrals to enhance provider coordination, shared process adoption and provision of best practices.

CDPH and CPS leadership have established a strong partnership and coordination strategy to ensure that all CPS students have consistent access to effective mental health interventions through partnerships with community. Focusing on prevention, promotion, and intervention of mental health services in school settings can assist students in getting the care they need, when they need it. For more information and to register to attend the event, go to Eventbrite.

Center for Aging Ribbon-Cutting

Dr. Geraldine Luna, Medical Director at CDPH, participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony this week for the Center for Better Aging (CBA) at St. Bernard Hospital. Located in the heart of the Englewood community, CBA aims to achieve equitable health outcomes across all age groups by providing convenient access to primary care, wellness education, and essential social services for adults aged 50 and older. Distinguished guests at the ribbon-cutting ceremony included acting HFS Director Elizabeth M. Whitehorn, Senator Mattie Hunter (Assistant Majority Leader, Illinois General Assembly, 3rd District), and Alderman Jeanette B. Taylor of Chicago’s 20th Ward.

During the ceremony, Dr. Luna emphasized the importance of such facilities in Chicago, citing findings from the 2023 Healthy Chicago Survey which revealed that one in four Chicagoans live with a disability, with higher rates observed in the south and west sides, particularly among adults aged 65 and older. Dr. Luna expressed enthusiasm for the new facility, highlighting its potential positive impact on the well-being and longevity of the elderly.

The Department of Public Health proudly supports the Center for Better Aging in its mission to enhance the quality of life for seniors in Chicago by promoting independence and well-being. For more information about CBA’s mission and programs, visit centerforbetteraging.org.

New Healthy Chicago Podcast

In the latest Spanish-language Healthy Chicago Podcast episode, Felipe Meza, a Mexican athlete and Rotary International member, joins Cynthia Ibarra from CDPH to discuss his upcoming 1,500-mile bike journey from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México to Evanston, Illinois. The journey aims to raise awareness about Polio and Rotary International’s efforts to eliminate the virus in in the two countries where it remains endemic: Afghanistan and Pakistan.

During the episode, Felipe describes his preparation—both physically and mentally—to bike continuously for 12 days to reach Evanston, Illinois, where Rotary International is headquartered, emphasizing the urgent need for polio eradication.

Listen to the newest Healthy Chicago episode on the CDPH website and all major platforms:

Apple / YouTube / Spotify

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