• In the U.S., there are both public and private health facilities. Public health facilities are provided through taxes we pay. Some private health facilities are run by individuals and corporations for profit, while others are organized as not-for-profit.

Public health facilities protect the health of the entire community and promote the health and welfare of the general public. The City of Chicago has many public health facilities that deliver public health care. Private health facilities include individual private practices, doctors’ offices, private clinics of doctors who are in group practice, and private hospitals.

For more information on public health in Chicago, visit the Department of Public Health.

Hospitals

In addition to the many private hospitals operating in Chicago, Cook County operates a health and hospital system. Click here for more information and to view locations.

The Illinois Hospital Association Directory lists many hospitals in Illinois and provides the address, phone number and website information for each.

Community Health Centers

Community Health Centers are neighborhood-based health care clinics that provide comprehensive primary and preventive care to undocumented immigrants and other underserved populations, such as the uninsured, low income, Medicaid recipients, and racial and ethnic minorities. In addition to primary and preventive care, most community health centers provide prenatal care, pediatrics, and chronic disease management. Some community health centers serve special populations, including the homeless, gay and lesbian populations, people living with HIV/AIDS, and disabled individuals.

Find a community health center in your neighborhood by clinic name or community area

Mental Health

It’s also important to be aware of one’s psychological or emotional state of being. In addition to the traumatic conditions of departure from one’s native country and the shock and readjustment of resettling in the U.S., everyday stresses and strains of living in another country can cause emotional dislocation and an unhealthy state of mind. If you experience tension or nervousness because of conflicts to which you are or have been exposed, talk to a friend or relative about it and together you should find an appropriate mental health professional who can help you. Conflicts between spouses or partners, parents and children, or others can be alleviated by the guidance and support of a counselor/ mental health professional.

If you have health insurance, you have access to mental health services across Chicago. Depending on your immigration status, you may be eligible for insurance, please call 1-866-311-1119 or visit www.getcoveredillinois.gov for more information.  The City of Chicago also provides mental health resources for residents without insurance, regardless of their immigration status, at the following clinics: