Chicago’s West Side has been Rush’s home since 1873.
We share our community with a diverse population of culturally rich neighborhoods and institutions. But for too long, much of the West Side has been overlooked and under-resourced, with residents facing economic hardships, high levels of unemployment, low rates of education and decades of structural racism. All this starkly illustrated by an average life expectancy for a neighborhood resident of 69 years – almost 20 years lower than the average for residents in downtown Chicago only six miles away.
As the largest employer on Chicago’s West Side, we know first-hand the importance of providing rewarding careers with long-term potential. Our participation in the Medical Assistants Pathway Program – and other job training programs like it – not only benefits the patients we serve, but also the community residents who receive the education and job training.
So we are honored and proud to be part of the collation of residents, community leaders, nonprofits and other health care institutions working with the Chicagoland Healthcare Workforce Collaborative. Working together, we are improving community health and increasing our neighborhoods’ economic vitality.
Thank you to the Chicagoland Healthcare Workforce Collaborative for your partnership in this vital mission.
Nicole Gilson, PhD
Manager, Talent Development
Adjunct Faculty, College of Health Sciences, Health Systems Management
Rush University Medical Center