Women’s Health Center celebrates first anniversary
“As the elevator opened on the fourth floor, I was suddenly distracted with the atmosphere of peace and tranquility,” Sonia Batts said of her experience in the Mayora Rosenberg Women’s Health Center.Sonia is one of the more than 13,000 women who have received care in the Women’s Health Center since its opening in October 2014.“This place is just gorgeous and it is soothing to us women. This place is where we are able to relax our minds and our physical being,” Sonia said. “You never know what someone who steps in here is going through, and to be able to comfort them for an hour or moments will never be forgotten.”In its first year, the center has provided 11,832 mammograms, 856 of which have been provided free or at a low cost, thanks to generous support of grant funds. In addition, 658 women have received breast biopsies, 1,958 women have received bone density tests, 115 women have received lactation support and more than 37 support groups have been held in the Health Resource Center.Through the Women’s Care Fund, a fund set up as part of the Women’s Health Initiative, the center has hosted small events with the Vietnamese Association of Illinois and the Ecuadorian consulate to provide mammograms and massages. These small events created access to care for our diverse community while allowing women to feel more comfortable while receiving their mammograms with their support networks. As a result, women needing further diagnostic testing were identified and connected to providers for follow-up care. Funds from the Women’s Care Fund helped to provide translations services and transportation for the event.“Words cannot describe how thankful I am personally for how you treated my fellow countrymen during the mammogram event in August. You are not only providing preventive care to them, but treating immigrant women with respect and dignity. You are wonderful,” Catalina Landivar, AICP, Vice Consul, Consulate of Ecuador in Chicago commented on the event.To learn more about the Woman’s Care Fund or to make a gift, contact the Foundation at foundation@swedishcovenant.org or (773) 293-5121, or go to swedishcovenantfoundation.org/donate.