Organization Type: Health Center
Location (city\/state): Chicago, Illinois
Special or Vulnerable Population: PHPC Health Center
Description of promising practice(s): Black Oaks Center and Health Food Hub<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TCA Health is a PHPC grantee located in Chicago, Illinois. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic they have encountered challenges related to food access among their patient population. These challenges are due to the built environment surrounding public housing developments near TCA Health. For example, Chicago Housing Authority\u2019s Altgeld Gardens & Phillip Murray Homes is in an isolated community sitting on the border of Chicago and Riverdale, Illinois. Their built environment involves structural road and sidewalks limitations such as little sidewalks, no bike lanes or pedestrian crossings, highways and speeding cars, and a heavy industrial zone with only one city bus available to access the housing authority\u2019s area. Due to this issue, access to foods became one of the most prominent challenges affecting high risk populations such as the elderly. Senior care packages were given to seniors in public housing which included basic hygiene needs and food items. This was possible through ongoing partnerships between TCA Health and the Chicago Housing Authority. TCA health also addressed food insecurity with the use of prescriptive markets that feature locally grown, chemical free fruits and vegetables. This was successfully done with the Black Oaks Center and Healthy Food Hub collaboration.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The TCA Health Outreach and Engagement Team created strategic partnerships with the following organizations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n