Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - The Advocate Trauma Recovery Center (TRC) is a health care-based, trauma-informed program that provides comprehensive, evidence-based services to victims, survivors, and families of intentional violence. Guided by a mission to aid in the recovery and establishment of personal safety and stability, TRC Services include individual and group therapy, 2) support and advocacy groups, 3) outpatient clinical assessments, 4) medication management, 5) safety and self-care guidance and, 6) case management. The TRC meets patients where they are at, and offers services that meet each individual’s, emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs. By providing comprehensive wraparound services, the TRC is better able to enhance stability and sense of felt safety in survivors and their families. All care adheres to culturally humble and trauma-informed guidelines, as well as follows best practices by data-driven research, including utilization of therapeutic interventions with evidence-based efficacy for treatment of trauma-and-stressor related disorders. The TRC provides care regardless of ability to pay, both uninsured and underinsured. The Trauma Recovery Center was developed in partnership with the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and funded in part by the Victims of Crime Act. Project Funding Rationale Many communities in TRC service areas have little access to behavioral health and case management services, due in part to geographic location and inequitable health resource distribution. Individuals in these areas must often travel long distances to receive specialized trauma care. Residents often have limited means with higher rates of poverty and unemployment, lower levels of education, higher incidence of chronic illness and disability, and more recently, are most impacted by COVID-19. For many clients, as well as those with disabilities, rideshare and public transportation are not always possible options, as they are cost prohibitive and not disability friendly. Transportation access and the digital divide are critical social determinants of health that the TRC hopes to address through this request. The lowered-floor mini vans will provide a safe mode of transportation to and from care, as well as be used for wraparound support such as transporting clothing and food if needed. Chromebooks will provide clients with vital access to telehealth services and education opportunities. As a result of COVID-19, over 50 percent of TRC’s sessions now occur virtually, which has unexpectedly both increased client participation and reduced cancelations. Moving forward, the TRC will employ a hybrid in-person/virtual model, which will allow the TRC to continue present the option of telehealth for those in greatest need. Conclusion Advocate Christ Medical Center opened in 1961 following a fundraising effort led by Southland community members. Thanks to the commitment of all who believe in its mission, Advocate Christ Medical Center has evolved into one of the top hospitals in the United States. The TRC there serves a critical purpose in the community, and in this era of declining reimbursements and increasing health needs, we believe that should this community project funding request be approved, it would make a significant difference in ensuring access to the very best care for survivors of trauma. Thank you for your consideration.
