PHIMC partners with community organizations across Chicago to support and train tomorrow’s compassionate health leaders through National Health Corps Chicago. Here is a window into this work as we close out 2024.
On October 25, 2024, National Health Corps (NHC) Chicago members and staff participated in a service project and member retreat. They joined other volunteers at the Greater Chicago Food Depository to sort and pack over 8,000 lbs of food, equating to 6,646 meals. In the afternoon, they engaged in team building and reflection activities to refresh and recharge for the coming months of integral service to communities.
November was a wonderful month for NHC Chicago. Members participated in their monthly training day where they engaged in personal and professional development sessions. They also took a moment to share what they were grateful for on their very own “hand turkeys”!
NHC Chicago members participated in a service project in November with Cardz for Kidz where they sorted and packaged over 2,800 cards for children experiencing difficult times. For their December service project, NHC Chicago members supported Cradles to Crayons, which serves children ages 0 to 12 to fight clothing insecurity. They served 663 children by sorting clothing donations by size.
The December monthly training day focused on mental health first aid certification training facilitated by The Association House. Several PHIMC staff members joined NHC Chicago for the day to learn and grow together.
My service taught me
What it truly means to try to connect with those who come from backgrounds different from my own with perspectives different than my own, this is a skill I continue to utilize and work on in my career as a pediatric physician.
Katarina, 2016-2017
My service year in Chicago
Defined the trajectory of my life. It helped me confirm a desire to pursue medicine, and there is no doubt in my mind that getting into a Chicago medical school was in part due to my AmeriCorps experience.
Kristina, 2022-2023
My service year was invaluable
I learned so much about interacting with patients and utilizing motivational interviewing and the realities of the American healthcare system vis a vis insurance and access issues… I continue to apply lessons learned from that year in my work now as a pediatric intensive care nurse…
Maria, 2018-2019
Through my service year with NHC,
I was able to gain confidence and improve on many valuable skills. I was also introduced to a wide background of different service-related fields, which helped me have a clearer picture of what career path I wanted to pursue long-term.
Grace, 2022-2023
National Health Corps (NHC) fosters healthy communities by connecting those who need it most with health and wellness education, benefits, and services while developing tomorrow’s compassionate health leaders. National Health Corps Chicago, a program of NHC, is administered by Health Federation of Philadelphia (HFP) and implemented by Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago (PHIMC).
