The Chicago HEAL Initiative

Gun violence is currently the leading cause of death for children and teens across America. Addressing Chicago’s gun violence epidemic requires a focus not just on sensible gun safety reforms, but also the underlying factors that contribute to gun violence, including health challenges, inequality, and poverty. That’s why I’ve joined forces with major Chicago hospitals on a groundbreaking community initiative to reduce violence and improve health. It’s called the Chicago HEAL Initiative (Hospital Engagement, Action, and Leadership), and it’s a collaboration between major Chicago hospitals, that I’ve convened and supported, to make tangible commitments to reduce gun violence, heal the physical and mental trauma that violence inflicts on victims, increase well-paying jobs, and create new economic opportunities in the neighborhoods these hospitals serve.

Not only do Chicago’s world class hospitals care for physical wounds and mental health challenges inflicted by violence, they are very often the largest employers and drivers of economic opportunity in their neighborhoods. The Chicago HEAL Initiative is a unique collaboration—among hospitals who traditionally compete with one another—and my role is not just to be a supportive partner, convener, and advocate, but also to assist these hospitals and our communities by fighting for access to health care and increasing federal resources for Chicago.  

As an initial step in this multi-year effort, read the public action plan and commitments from HEAL Initiative hospitals here:

Read The Report

I recently released a five-year report of the Chicago HEAL Initiative, which highlights significant progress made by the hospitals in local hiring, job training and mentorship, and trauma-informed care and youth mental health activities.

The HEAL hospitals have sustained impressive efforts to collaborate around four main topics: local hiring; school/community programs; trauma/violence recovery programs; and data sharing. Among other highlights, in calendar year 2023, the hospitals:

  • Hired 4,402 new employees from the 18 focus neighborhoods (a 50 percent increase compared to the launch of HEAL in 2018).
  • Provided 4,403 local students with summer employment, pipeline, or apprenticeship programs (a 31 percent increase from last year).
  • Partnered with 253 Chicago Public Schools (a 20 percent increase from last year), including operating 16 school-based health clinics/mobile health units that served 7,599 students.
  • Provided 2,614 victims of violence with ongoing trauma-informed case management and recovery programs (a 43 percent increase since 2018).

Read the Year Five Report

Watch my full speech announcing Chicago HEAL at the City Club of Chicago:

durbin breakfast

The 10 hospitals initially involved in Chicago HEAL are among the largest serving Chicago:

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