Our Chicago: Northwestern's Bronzeville Outpatient Center marks 1 year
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The medical director of Northwestern Medicine's Bronzeville Outpatient Center said when it opened a year ago that it would make a "generational impact on the health and wellness of the community."
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The facility at 48th and Cottage Grove was designed with that community in mind.
A community that has often been underserved. The facility includes a cancer center, primary and immediate care along with fourteen medical specialties.
And because of community input, pediatric care was added. It seems people have responded.
"In our first year we've seen over 80,000 completed appointments there and it has truly just been amazing," said the center's medical director, Dr. Kimbra Bell. "The community has really embraced us and we're so happy to be there. And we know that we're impacting the health of persons in the community for generations to come."
She says there was a huge need for such a facility in the neighborhood.
They found that there were a large number of people living in Bronzeville who were traveling downtown to receive this medical care.
The center is located in the fourth ward, served by Alderman Lamont Robinson.
"We know that healthcare is extremely important. We also know that depending on your zip code. depends on your life expectancy. And so, having this center in Bronzeville, that is a part of the fabric of the community is extremely important," she said.
Bell says one of the most used resources at the center has been the immediate care center.
"In addition to that, our diagnostic imaging suite where patients can access mammograms, CT scans, X-rays, MRIs, bone density. And also, primary care where patients come for their acute illnesses or just for their annual wellness exam," he said.
Alderman Robinson says the long-term impact will be having a healthy community.
The Outpatient Center is also providing jobs for people living nearby.
"On a regular basis, we get job postings and we put it in our newsletter. And that is extremely important because folks are always looking for careers. And being able to have a job in your community is extremely important."
