Health and Fitness

Mayor Emanuel and Oak Street Health Announce Opening of Ashburn Medical Center


Neighborhood-Based Primary Care and Dental Centers for Medicare Recipients to Hire 100 Employees This Year; Investing in Neighborhoods is a Key Component of the Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs

CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–June 27, 2014.  Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Oak Street Health today celebrated the opening of the organization’s third neighborhood medical center located at 3348 West 87th Street in Ashburn. Oak Street Health centers provide neighborhood-based Medicare-eligible residents with options for primary care and dental services. The state-of-the-art center will employ 35 full-time positions upon opening and is committed to hiring local, neighborhood residents to serve the over 2,500 seniors in the area. The organization expects to add 100 employees by the end of 2014, and an additional 200 employees in 2015.

“The health of our neighbors and the health of our neighborhood economies go hand in hand,” said Mayor Emanuel. “The ability for Chicago’s seniors to access affordable healthcare in their neighborhoods is crucial to our efforts to improve the health and well-being of all Chicagoans and the fact that Oak Street is committed to hiring residents from the communities they serve, makes this a win-win for the City.”

In addition to Ashburn, Oak Street Health plans to open two additional centers this summer, revitalizing buildings that had formerly been vacant – Avalon Park at 1715 East 95th Street on July 1 and Bronzeville at 4318 South State Street on August 26. Each new center creates 15 jobs initially with more care teams added as the number of patients increase. As a result of the planned expansion, Oak Street Health expects to hire 100 additional employees this year – a majority of which are expected to come out of the communities Oak Street serves and among recent City College graduates.

“At Oak Street Health, we believe effective healthcare goes beyond just the services we offer at our centers, and that more must be done to help our members manage their conditions every day,” said Mike Pykosz, Oak Street Health’s Chief Executive Officer. “The key to our mission is keeping patients healthy, at home, and out of hospitals. Our doctors take the time to listen to each patient, understand their individual circumstances, and develop comprehensive care plans for each member.”

In order to meet its hiring needs, Oak Street Health in partnership with Chicago City Colleges will host a hiring fair and interview day to identify skilled and qualified candidates for both clinical and non-clinical jobs that include welcome coordinators, medical assistants, community coordinators and outreach associates. The event, open to current students and alumni of City Colleges, will be held in early July at Oak Street’s headquarters at 1101 West Fulton Market.

The Oak Street Health model invests more in primary care to keep its members healthy and out of hospitals. Physician patient panels are about a fourth of the size of most fee-based medical practices, providing increased patient access to doctors, including same-day and next-day appointments for seniors with unexpected health concerns. The “one-stop care approach” ensures that physicians, medical specialists and care teams work collaboratively to address the unique needs of patients, while on-site dental services and in-house pharmacy services simplify patient care. In addition to healthcare, the centers offer members access to a community room with educational sessions, activities and events designed specifically for their unique needs at no additional cost.

“Our unique care model creates an excellent patient experience focused on building better patient-doctor relationships and delivering focused preventive care for seniors on Medicare,” said Griffin Myers, Oak Street Health’s Chief Medical Officer. “Oak Street patients see the difference; we have a 97% patient satisfaction rating following appointments. Our model takes into consideration all aspects of their care, from transportation needs, dental and social needs, access to affordable medications, to frequent and longer visits with their doctor and the integrated technology that enables all of it.”

The healthcare sector remains a critical component of Chicago’s economy, with over 18,000 jobs created since 2011, the most of any single industry in the city. From 2012-2013, 6,830 new heath care and social assistance jobs were created in Chicago across all skill levels – from medical technicians to surgeons. Today’s announcement builds on this and renews efforts to develop services that can drive economic growth across Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Oak Street Health opened its first two Chicago centers in September 2013 at 1541 West Devon in Edgewater and 4848 West Irving Park in Portage Park. By the end of 2014, it will operate five centers in Chicago and two additional facilities in Berwyn and Blue Island, IL.

For more information, please visit www.oakstreethealth.com or 312-733-3374.

Source: cityofchicago.org

 


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