Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Program - Lawndale Christian Health Center (LCHC) seeks to develop its self-sustaining Geriatric Fellowship (GF) Program of two fellows per year. Fellows trained through LCHC’s GF will be able to more competently provide care to low-income senior patients in Health Professional Shortage Areas in Chicago. LCHC offers a full spectrum of affordable, high-quality primary health care services accessible to low-income patients in Lawndale, Garfield Park, and neighboring communities throughout the West Side of Chicago. Founded in 1984 by a small group of Lawndale residents, LCHC has worked to improve and grow its model of care to ensure community access for 35 years. Area primary care services are scarce or available in a limited capacity, resulting in an inadequate provider-to-patient ratio. Over 130 LCHC providers work across a spectrum of specialties including family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, internal medicine, and others, as well as laboratory, radiology, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry, behavioral health, substance use, and health support services for targeted populations including Healthcare for the Homeless. In Fiscal Year 2022 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and variants, LCHC provided care for 53,230 unique patients through 173,138 medical visits, 10,498 behavioral health visits, 14,147 dental visits, and 4,181 optometry visits. Approximately 1/4 of visits are offered to uninsured patients. LCHC’s proposed GF Program will allow it to address Health Professional Shortages within four focus ZCTAs, including North and South Lawndale, East and West Garfield Park, Archer Heights, Brighton Park, Humboldt Park, and the neighboring city of Cicero, IL. These communities account for over 288,000 people, of whom 71% are Hispanic or Latino and 21% are African American. According to the American Community Survey in 2019, over 56% of residents are low income, 15% of households have no insurance, and an additional 33% of patients utilize Medicaid or other public insurance. The Chicago Health Atlas documents many of the health disparities faced by residents in LCHC’s service communities. In West Garfield Park for example, 48% of adults are considered obese, 1 in 6 have diabetes, and 1 in 6 births are low birthweight. As a leader in Chicago’s safety net healthcare community, LCHC will continue to directly provide a comprehensive array of primary care services to meet the needs of the target population. Fellows will have the opportunity to train across these comprehensive services directly within its health center as well as with its partner hospitals located less than 2 miles from its main campus. LCHC has been certified as an FQHC for over 25 years, is PCMH certified, and has received multiple HRSA awards for growth and quality of care. LCHC is also an ACGME accredited institution with FMR specialization, has robust and respected faculty, has multiple hospital partnerships, and will create curriculum to produce high-quality geriatricians. LCHC has demonstrated stability and capacity as a partner for the Department of Health and Human Services.
