UI Health to celebrate new CPS-based federally funded community health center

The late Cynthia “Cee” Barnes-Boyd

A ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 4 will celebrate the re-opening of a renovated federally funded school health center on Chicago’s South Side.

WHEN:

March 4
10 a.m.

WHERE:

Cynthia Barnes-Boyd/Drake Health and Wellness Center
2710 S. Dearborn St.

DETAILS:

On March 4, leaders from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Department of Public Health will celebrate the opening of the Cynthia Barnes-Boyd/Drake Health and Wellness Center, a renovated school-based community health center in Chicago’s Douglas neighborhood.

The clinic is part of the UI Health Mile Square Health Center network of federally qualified health centers and is located on-site at John B. Drake Elementary School, which is part of CPS.

The renovated clinic, which is named in honor of the late Cynthia Barnes-Boyd, includes three exam rooms, a behavioral health room and an on-site laboratory. Comprehensive clinical services will include immunizations, physical exams, sports physicals, reproductive health care and behavioral health support. Services will be provided to students, their families and the entire community.

Located near the intersection of State and 26th Streets, the full-service health and wellness center “will fill a significant need in the medically underserved community,” said Angela Ellison, senior director of the Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnerships at UIC.

“The Dr. Cynthia Barnes-Boyd/Drake Health and Wellness Center will provide much-needed care to students and community members living on the South Side of Chicago,” Ellison said. “Dr. Barnes-Boyd dedicated her life to serving UIC and Chicago communities and we will never forget her legacy.”

Speakers and special guests scheduled to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony include:

• Dr. Robert Barish, vice chancellor of health affairs, UIC
• Dr. Julie Morita, commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health
• Ken Papineau, manager of the Office of Student Health and Wellness, Chicago Public Schools
• Pat Dowell, alderman, 3rd Ward
• Sydney Golliday, principal, John B. Drake Elementary School
• Dr. Robert Winn, associate vice chancellor of community-based practice, UIC
• Henry Taylor, chief executive officer of Mile Square Health Center, UIC
• Angela Ellison, senior director of the Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnerships, UIC

Two Drake Elementary students and the family of Barnes-Boyd will also attend.

Renovations began in 2017 with significant funding from the City of Chicago. The health and wellness center, which is one of six school-based clinics in the UI Health Mile Square network, will begin serving students and the community on March 12.

More information about UI Health Mile Square is available online.