About Us

Mission

Community Health Corps (CHC) aims to empower individuals to improve their health and wellbeing by increasing access to health information and resources through local community engagement and partnerships.

Vision

Communities where every person has access to affordable and appropriate resources and services to prevent illness, manage their health, and receive care, as well as the ability to understand and use qualified health information to lead healthy lives with dignity.

About

Community Health Corps (CHC) is a grassroots student-run organization that aims to empower individuals to improve their health and wellbeing in the Evanston and Skokie communities. Through its two main initiatives, the Community Health Hub and Red Cross Training Corps (RCTC), CHC increases access to health information, resources, and emergency skills training.

Through the Community Health Hub, trained student volunteers operate a health desk in the Evanston Public Library, and formerly in the Skokie Public Library. Through meaningful conversations with library patrons, our volunteers learn about the interests and needs of community members to identify ways in which volunteers can best serve. Our volunteers often connect community members to qualified health information and services using our extensive directory of resources. It includes Action Cards (action-oriented informational printouts written at the 4th grade reading levels and validated by health professionals), a database of local community resources, a virtual ArcGIS map of community organizations, a collection of reputable online resources, and recent and relevant third party resources.

RCTC aims to increase the number of community members equipped to respond in emergency health situations regardless of ability to afford training. Northwestern is the first university in America to host this unique and groundbreaking partnership with the American Red Cross and AmeriCorps. These organizations allow CHC RCTC trainers to offer Red Cross certification courses to community members free of charge and at highly discounted rates to Northwestern University faculty, staff, and students.

In addition to its two main initiatives, CHC serves the local Northwestern and Chicagoland communities by organizing health fairs, speaker series, panels, and health advocacy events. This local engagement and programming is made possible by our valued partnerships within the private, public, and civil sectors. Learn more about our current partners here.

Our Story

Established in 2014, CHC began with a partnership with the Erie Family Health Center, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in the Evanston/Skokie areas, through which Northwestern undergraduate students were trained as health volunteers to advocate on behalf of Erie. Since its founding, CHC has expanded to nine local partnerships and has developed two central initiatives to promote positive health outcomes within its communities.

Core Values

• Health and Wellbeing: Accomplishing a state of physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity for all persons.
• Collaborative Partnerships: Working with community members, local organizations, and institutions to identify, prioritize, and resolve barriers to healthcare.
• Educational Empowerment: Helping individuals make healthy decisions through reliable, relevant, and accessible knowledge.
• Community Engagement: Bridging the gap between community members and existing local resources.
• Asset Based Community Development: Focusing on existing strengths and assets when interacting with and supporting community stakeholders.