Women’s Health
We are saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend and former Women’s Health Center employee and Swedish Star of the Year Awardee, Karen Hoftey. She was passionate about serving the patients in the Women’s Health Center and we will miss her generous and kind spirit. To read her obituary, click here, or to make a donation in her memory, click here
The Women’s Health Initiative is committed to providing every woman in our community with high-quality, personalized medical and wellness services in the Jack & Mayora Rosenberg Women’s Health Center.
We know that many women in our area face significant language, financial and cultural barriers that make it a challenge to access even the most basic health care. The Community Breast Health program targets uninsured and underinsured women living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Of those women, 56% were Hispanic, 23% were multiracial/other, 13% Caucasian, 5% African American, and 3% Asian. 50% of these women had a primary language other than English. Non-English speakers spoke more than 16 languages, the most common: Spanish, Polish, Romanian, Arabic, Ukranian, Somali, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
Through the Women’s Health Initiative, we are expanding access to health services and information. Services are based upon critical needs identified in our community, and include the following:
Breast Cancer Detection Services
Philanthropic support provides mammograms, biopsies, MRIs and ultrasounds for women who are unable to afford them. Through donations from private foundations and community donors, the Community Breast Health Program is a life-saving option for thousands of low-income and under-insured women each year.
Mental Health Services
The Women’s Health Initiative helps to alleviate the cost of mental health services for women who lack access to mental health benefits, either because they are uninsured or their insurance does not cover it.
Services for New Moms
New moms’ support groups are held monthly in the Health Resource Center. Additionally, Swedish Hospital has the only hospital-based outpatient lactation clinic in the city of Chicago.
Community Education and Outreach
Charitable gifts provide ongoing support for outreach services, educational events and innovative programming for women in our community. We partner with many organizations in our community to provide tailored programs to meet the cultural needs of the diverse population we serve.
Philanthropic support continues to play an important role in caring for thousands of women each year – whether they face an urgent need, a devastating diagnosis or seek to improve their overall health and quality of life. Contact Swedish Hospital Foundation to learn more about how your charitable gift will help make a difference for our patients.
Read more articles about Women's Health or the Community Breast Health Program.
To learn more about the Women’s Health Initiative or to make a donation, contact us at (773) 293-5121 or schfoundation@schosp.org.
2020 Statistics
684 women served through the Community Breast Health Program
659 free mammograms
102 free breast biopsies
202 free breast ultrasounds
809 free imaging exams
228 lactation support visits to families.
440 mental health counseling sessions to 60 women