FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR |
Last week, the IMD announced that it will host a Community Job, Resource and Health Fair on Thursday, August 19. The event will take place from 10 AM to 4 PM at IMD headquarters, located at 2100 W. Harrison Street. |
More than 30 organizations from the IMD and surrounding areas will be onsite to provide employment and community health resources to those in need.
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office will be in attendance offering license plate renewal stickers, renewals and corrections of Illinois driver’s license and state ID’s, and Organ/Tissue Donor registration.
Cook County Health Department will provide COVID-19 vaccinations onsite, free of charge.
Attendees who are seeking employment resources are encouraged to bring extra copies of their resume and a valid photo ID.
Current CDC COVID-19 guidance will be followed at the event. Attendees who utilize services in the interior of the building will be required to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status, so we encourage anyone who plans to attend to bring a face covering.
We recognize that the pandemic is not over, and that people are still feeling its effect on their daily lives, but the IMD is proud to support Chicagoans in any way that will help with recovery. Bringing the community together for the benefit of all has been part of the District’s core mission from the start.
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RED CROSS SEEKS BLOOD DONORS |
The Red Cross encourages eligible donors to kick off the fall season by giving blood or platelets to address the ongoing critical need for blood products.
Blood products are essential to the treatment of those with sickle cell disease. As we mark Sickle Cell Awareness Month in September, it’s important to remember that blood donations from individuals of the same ethnicity and blood type have a unique ability to help patients fighting sickle cell disease.
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By donating blood, you may make a difference in the lives of patients with sickle cell disease as well as moms with complicated childbirths, people fighting cancer, accident or trauma victims being raced to emergency rooms, and more. Your single blood donation may even help save more than one life! You can sign up to donate at redcrossblood.org.
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IMD COMMISSIONER INVITED TO FLORIDA TO OFFER BUILDING INSPECTION EXPERTISE |
On Wednesday, August 17, IMD Commissioner Judy Frydland was invited to Florida to offer her building inspection expertise. Ms. Frydland spoke on a panel hosted by the International Code Council, the National Institute of Building Sciences, and BOMA International.
As commissioner of the Chicago Department of Buildings from 2015 to 2020, Ms. Frydland led the department in implementing multiple reforms that streamlined the permit process for all building projects, from single-family home renovations to large-scale developments, making it quicker and more efficient to obtain a permit than ever before.
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Ms. Frydland's experience is something she is now offering through public speaking and a new legal service to help other cities and builders navigate safety while maintaining character. |
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CHICAGO CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY |
August 5 marked the 20th anniversary of the day Chicago Children's Advocacy Center opened its doors, becoming the first organization of its kind in the city. ChicagoCAC is the city’s only nonprofit that coordinates the efforts of child protection staff, law enforcement professionals, family advocates, medical experts, and mental health clinicians under one roof to respond to reports of child sexual abuse and other violence against children.
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Former Chicago Mayor RIchard M. Daley |
ChicagoCAC will honor some of its earliest champions and supporters, including the organization’s founder, former longtime Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, at A Night of Heroes on September 29 from 6 - 9 pm at Theater on the Lake. Twentieth anniversary celebrations will continue through next year’s Luminary Award Dinner in April 2022.
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RUSH, SUN TIMES SERIES HIGHLIGHTS HEALTH EQUITY |
Rush and the Chicago Sun-Times recently kicked off a four-week series highlighting Rush’s nationally recognized efforts to cut the life span expectancy gap between downtown Chicago and the city's West Side neighborhoods.
"We saw that there were big gaps," Darlene Hightower, Rush's vice president of community health equity, says in a video for the series.
While providing world-class care is part of the equation, many of the obstacles — such as lack of access to good jobs, quality education and housing — require new ideas and new partnerships. In 2016, Rush became the nation's first health system to identify health inequities as the most urgent health need in its surrounding communities. To learn more and to watch the first video in the series, click here.
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All Illinois residents who are 12 years of age and older are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. To find a COVID-19 vaccine near you, click here.
Although vaccination remains the best way to protect against COVID-19, individuals are encouraged to continue observing basic precautions to help protect against infection, such as:
- Washing your hands frequently with soap and water
- Coughing or sneezing into your elbow, rather than into your hands
- Unvaccinated individuals should avoid large social gatherings
- Unvaccinated individuals should wear a mask or a face covering when in public
- All individuals, regardless of vaccination status, should continue observing mask and social distance policies in public places and at businesses in your community
- Consult with your medical provider if you feel sick
For more information on COVID-19:
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Our Catalyst newsletter exists in part to promote the great work of our IMD partners and friends. If you have news, events or information about your organization that you'd like us to include in a future edition of The Catalyst, please reach out to IMD Communications Director Ryan Gage. |
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