Dr. Carl Bell R.I.P

Though not mentioned in the linked article from WTTW, Dr. Bell was head of the now closed Community Mental Health Council. He sought to do research on the affects of witnessing violence on children. Now that he's gone, who will carry on his necessary work? He fulfilled a need that was necessary.

Progress IL: South Siders March To U Of Chicago Hospital In Demand Of A Trauma Center

Photo via Progress IL

It seems from time to time this blog has noted the subject of trauma centers on the south side of town. There aren't any at all and that's the subject of this post from Progress Illinois. This took place on Wednesday and participants marched to the University of Chicago hospital to protest this very fact. Here's the reasoning for a trauma center on this part of town:

Currently, South Sides residents that need treatment for traumatic injuries have to travel long distances to a hospital on the North or West Sides of the city or the suburbs. In an area with a high concentration of trauma cases, particularly due to gun violence, experts and activists say the consequences of such long travels can be dire, costing lives. At the hearing, Dr. Marie Crandall of Northwestern University, who last year published research showing the link between mortality rates and travel times, said gunshot victims more than five miles away from a trauma center have a 21 percent higher mortality rate.

The former Williams Clinic

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What you see above is a Google Streetview of the former Williams Clinic located at 408 E. Marquette Road. It was operated by a family of Black doctors and it seemed they offered a number of services at this clinic including a dentist and a pharmacy. In fact here's an obituary for one of the Williams brothers who originally founded the clinic.

Recently I drove by and it hits me that the clinic is close to the motel near Marquette Road & King Drive that had been recently demolished thanks to the activism of a local minster Corey Brooks - who incidentally was interested in succeeding Jesse Jackson Jr. for the 2nd congressional district seat. In driving by, on that motel property was a rendition of how the new community center Brooks hope to build would look.

Then it also hit me, I wonder if Brooks might find a way to thrown in some health care services at his future community center. Indeed perhaps he could find a way to take over the Williams Clinic property which is currently a church.

I do wish to know what happened to Williams Clinic. My dad used to patronize their practice back in the day and continued to do so until it appears that the Williams family were no longer involved in that business. I'm not entirely certain when they closed but surely someone could fill in some details.

BTW, this post is going into some unfamiliar territory as far as a particular issue such as health care. Medical services are necessary no matter your income level and this area around the former clinic is considered low-income. The question to ask here is whether or not it's possible for an independent clinic such as this could exist today. Would the economics of health care today keep independent medical professionals from operating?

Tuition-Free EMT Training For Working Women

The Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago (ICNC) is now accepting applications for EMT training.

Who qualifies for this program?

To qualify, you must be a working single woman earning between $10,000 - $40,000 per year
and living in the city of Chicago. It is also important that you have a clean record, both criminal
and driving.

Additionally, you must be fluent in English, have good basic math and reading skills and be able
to work legally in the United States.

Application Process:

1. Online Applications accepted -Now
2. On-site assessment at ICNC - late January to mid February
3. On-site interviews at ICNC - February
4. Pre-class starts - March 2012

The link for the on-line application is:

http://www.icnctraining.org/index.html