Northwestern Medicine received a $35 million grant to launch a community health institute, it announced Tuesday.
The grant, donated by the Schreiber Philanthropy foundation, will go toward the new John and Kathy Schreiber Community Health Institute. The institute will partner with nonprofit organizations and community-based providers to offer direct care to underinsured patients. It also aims to increase care coordination and implement innovative workforce strategies to improve culturally competent care for communities, according to the announcement.
“This transformational gift from Schreiber Philanthropy will strengthen the Chicago area healthcare ecosystem, benefiting not only Northwestern Medicine patients, but also those living across Chicago and the surrounding communities,” Dr. Howard Chrisman, president and CEO of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, said in the announcement.
The grant builds on more than 30 years of the Schreiber family’s philanthropy to NM, which has amounted to nearly $50 million.
The new institute hopes to address gaps in healthcare by combining NM’s “clinical expertise and resources” with community partners, according to the announcement. The grant will also help the institute to grow the local health workforce and increase community trust and empowerment, the announcement read.
Through the Community Health Institute, NM plans to expand access to its Transitional Care Clinics for patients with complex medical needs who lack adequate insurance as well as expand the services offered at the clinics.
NM will also offer increased training and support to federally qualified health centers and free clinics and create a care navigation hub to connect underinsured patients to these centers and clinics.
“Every person, regardless of where they live, should have access to high-quality healthcare,” Schreiber Philanthropy Co-Founder Kathy Schreiber said in the announcement. “This investment is a key part of Schreiber Philanthropy’s broader strategy to strengthen and fortify Chicago’s healthcare ecosystem, and we are hopeful that — with Northwestern Medicine’s leadership — the Community Health Institute will be a model for how philanthropy can catalyze the reimagination of systems to better serve people and communities.”
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