University of Chicago Medicine and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana Partner to Support Healthy Kids and Communities

The University of Chicago Medicine and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana (BGCGNWI) today announced a partnership that will increase the mental health resources and social supports available to the youth that BGCGNWI serves, which includes more than 5,000 members in 10 Clubs across Northwest Indiana in Lake and Porter counties.

Through a $300,000 investment over three years, UChicago Medicine will fund two full-time social worker positions in support of BGCGNWI’s Social and Emotional Programming. BGCGNWI’s youth programs focus on early detection and intervention strategies that address mental health, trauma, grief, and sexual/physical abuse, as well as neurodivergent youth, such as those with autism.

The two organizations began planning the partnership as UChicago Medicine was preparing to open the health system’s largest offsite facility in Crown Point in spring of 2024.

“With the opening of our state-of-the-art care center in Crown Point this past April, UChicago Medicine welcomes the opportunity to partner with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana to strengthen mental health and educational resources for Northwest Indiana youth and families,” said Amy Ross, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at UChicago Medicine. “Working together, we can bring more resources to more people, growing the programs that are making a meaningful difference in people’s lives and well-being.”

Through the partnership, UChicago Medicine will also provide training to BGCGNWI staff on trauma-informed approaches to support programming for youth and families.  UChicago Medicine is a leading provider of trauma care services on Chicago’s South Side, through its Violence Recovery Program and affiliated programs supporting mental healthcare for children and young adult trauma patients.

“Today’s youth face a number of unique and unprecedented challenges, which makes it more important than ever to ensure they have the proper resources and support to help them reach their full potential,” shared Mike Jessen, President and CEO at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana. “Our long-term transformative partnership with University of Chicago Medicine allows us to significantly enhance our Social and Emotional Wellness youth programming to do just that. Together, we are committed to improving the health and wellness of our Club kids and paving the way for them to become productive, responsible, and caring citizens.”

As part of this partnership and UChicago Medicine’s contribution, all donations to BGCGNWI will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $100,000, during its Return to Learn campaign from September 12-26, 2024. Join us in supporting our Northwest Indiana kids by donating at bgcgreaternwi.org/return-2-learn.

UChicago Medicine Crown Point opened to patients on April 29, 2024. Located at I-65 and 109th Avenue, UChicago Medicine Crown Point includes comprehensive cancer care, an ambulatory surgery center, eight inpatient beds and an emergency room. Patients also have access to UChicago Medicine and UChicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital physicians and specialists — including those providing care for digestive diseases, heart and vascular, neuroscience and orthopaedic surgery. The two-story, 132,000-square-foot center is UChicago Medicine’s largest offsite facility.

More than 110,000 patients are expected to use the Crown Point care center each year. Based on assessment of the market, UChicago Medicine found that about 15% of patients in Northwest Indiana travel outside the region for medical care, with roughly one in five of that group visiting one of the academic health system’s facilities in Chicago and neighboring suburbs.