Led by the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP), Healthy Southwest is a collaboration between eight local organizations to move health equity work forward throughout the southwest side. The partner organizations include PODER, Esperanza Health Centers, Southwest Collective, Increase the Peace, The Resurrection Project, Metropolitan Family Services, Envision Community Services, and the Southwest Organizing Project. Over the winter season, Healthy Southwest wanted to bring opportunities to the community and hosted The Virtual Winter Health Education Series.
Over the course of eight weeks, Healthy Southwest invited health professionals to discuss their expertise on a variety of topics. These sessions were What to Expect at an Annual Visit: Fostering Self-Advocacy for Better Health Outcomes, Senior Care (for Seniors & Senior Care Providers), Mental Health (Spanish only), Mental Health (English only), Prevention of Chronic Disease, Lifestyle Modifications to Prevent Chronic Disease, Women’s Health, and Men’s Health. These educational discussions also gave community members the chance to ask questions at the end of each session about health concerns they had.
With over 622 community members attending the sessions, the Winter Health Series provided attendees from the southwest side of Chicago a chance to expand their knowledge of healthy practices, resources, and general health guidelines to lead a healthier lifestyle. The sessions were also recorded and are available on SWOP’s YouTube channel in the links below.
Winter Health Series - English Playlist | Winter Health Series - Spanish Playlist
Finally, a special thanks to the organizations and the professionals who shared their expertise in their respective fields:
Dr. Megan Gonzalez - Swedish Hospital & Erie Health Centers, Dr. Geraldine Luna - Chicago Department of Public Health, Guadalupe Rosas-Rico - Sinai Chicago, Marcos Montes - Sinai Chicago, Dr. Michael Caçoilo & Dr. Anna Nguyen - Esperanza Health Centers, Dr. Edwin Varillas & Dr. Carlos Espiche - Medical Organization for Latino Advancement, Dr. Debra Stulberg & Dr. Sonia Oyola - The University of Chicago, Dr. Ronald Rembert, Jr. - C3 Consulting.
