April 2, 2010

Heartland International Health Center (HIHC), an affiliate of Heartland Alliance, has become a leader in school-based medical care in Illinois, with full-service health centers providing primary, mental, and oral health care services in two Chicago high schools.

The need for school-based health care cannot be denied: a 2002 Illinois Department of Human Services report showed that school health centers contribute to fewer hospitalizations, decreased risky behaviors, higher immunization compliance, lower drop-out rates, fewer absences, and decreased instances of parents losing wages to care for sick children. The Center for Impact Research has found that school health centers provide more than $4 million in annual savings in Illinois through immunizations and avoided hospitalizations.

HIHC continues to expand its high-quality services to other schools, opening its third school-based health center this fall at Hibbard Elementary in the Albany Park neighborhood. The health center will also serve students from nearby Albany Park Multicultural Academy and Edison Regional Gifted Center, giving up to 1,700 students access to primary care, dental care, and mental health services.

This spring, HIHC also opened its first non-school health center specifically for children. Heartland Pediatric Center – Lakeview, in partnership with Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, addresses the gap in primary care services for low-income children on Chicago's North Side. Heartland Pediatric Center – Lakeview will provide a medical home for more than 1,000 children.

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