Our Health Partners
Northwestern Memorial's mission to improve the health of the communities we serve is advanced through innovative programs to better manage chronic diseases, particularly among the medically underserved. We have formal and long-standing affiliations with two Federally Qualified Health Center partners, Near North Health Services Corporation and Erie Family Health Center. Two members from our leadership teams each serve on the boards of Near North and Erie.
Together with our partners, we develop programs to address the healthcare needs of the patients in medically underserved communities. And patients in need of specialty care also have the option to come to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for high quality, affordable care.
Near North Health Services Corporation
Near North, a community health partner for more than 40 years, provides neighborhood-based primary care, support services and dental services to more than 47,000 primarily low-income uninsured or underinsured residents who live in some of the city's most underserved communities.
Erie Family Health Center
Erie Family Health Center was founded in 1956 as a project of volunteer physicians from Northwestern Memorial and Erie Neighborhood House. Erie provides a variety of primary care, case management and dental services to more than 30,000 patients a year through eight sites and a number of other partnership programs.
Denny Primary Care & Preventive Medicine Center
Northwestern Memorial also has provided care to the medically underserved through the James and Catherine Denny Primary Care and Preventive Medicine Center at the Lawson House YMCA since 2000.
The Denny Center provides Lawson House residents and qualifying homeless people access to:
- Health assessments
- Screenings
- Health education
- Basic primary care
- Preventive care
The Denny Center patients receive diagnostic and specialty services, free outpatient services, mental health intervention, dental care and social support services through Northwestern Memorial.
During fiscal year 2008, Northwestern Memorial and Near North jointly planned and completed transition of management of the Denny Center to Near North. Northwestern Memorial is committed to continuing its support of the Denny Center through collaborating on programs to address the health needs of the homeless and those at risk for homelessness in our community.