Community Health Collaborative Focuses on Collaboration at Their
Quarterly Meeting
[June 10, 2025]
The Community Health Collaborative met for its quarterly meeting
on June 5 at Lincoln Memorial Hospital (LMH). The goal of the meeting
was to share updates with partner organizations and pursue collaboration
opportunities. A virtual option was also available. Suggested questions
to promote collaboration included:
What’s New and What’s Next
1. What current projects is your organization working on?
2. Is there a challenge or opportunity your organization is facing that
you would like input on today?
3. Are there any upcoming events, programs, or needs where you would
welcome a partner, presence, or resources?
Updates began with partners who were joining the meeting virtually. The
Community Action Partnership is looking for potential jobs for clients.
Community Childcare Connection takes care of childcare assistance and
helps childcare programs better their quality. They have a community
Baby Shower coming up.
The Headstart Health Manager announced that Headstart has a program
self-assessment on June 11. Currently they are experiencing
underenrollment and looking for prenatal moms to serve due to
underenrollment. They are also enrolling for next year.
Hope on Fifth is currently serving 22 people. There will be an open mic
fundraiser at Spirited Republic on Thursday, June 12 from 7 -10 p.m.
with featured local performers.
Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) helps the community to work
together to create a comprehensive community recovery organization.
Their goal is to chip away at stigmatization of mental health and
recovery. They participate in community events already going on, for
example, they were at Pridefest and will be at the various Fridays in
Logan County as well as other events. Their planning meeting is the
second Tuesday of every month at Hope on Fifth. A new deflection program
is coming to Lincoln. ROSC creates cards with Logan County Recovery
meetings and times for AA, NA, CODA, and Smart Recovery meetings.
Kara Davis, Director of Nursing at the Logan County Department of Public
Health, announced back-to-school shots are available at the health
department. They are scheduling late hour clinics in July for parents to
bring their children in after work. Normal hours are 7:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
for vaccinations. The health department takes all insurances and
Medicaid. SIU is providing school sports physicals by appointment; An
announcement is coming soon. The health department is looking for a
dietician, RN, or nutritionist to fill a position opening due to
retirement.
Crisis intervention in Springfield is hiring new counselors and can make
referrals for homeless youth.
Heartland Community College will offer a free Healthcare Careers class
for youth in July in Lincoln to learn more about jobs in the healthcare
field. Registration starts in June. Heartland is starting a new
community initiative– college conversations at local businesses. CNA,
welding classes, and GED classes will resume for the fall. Registration
opens in July. Regular fall classes in general education begin in
August. There is a free conference space on the Heartland Lincoln campus
that seats up to 25.
Sarah Helm of the Lincoln Memorial Foundation reported that they have
been approved for funding for three grants, one in clinical training and
development and two in healthcare career scholarships for those
interested in a healthcare career in Logan County. The scholarships will
be a rolling application and they are looking for applicants.
Birth to Five is seeking Action Council members and Family Council
members. Both councils meet once a month in a hybrid format. Family
Council members are paid a stipend for participation in meetings. The
meetings discuss barriers and challenges and how to solve them. They are
working on getting access to care for families in trauma situations and
looking into making mental health and rural health actions.
Girls on the Run is recruiting for the fall season and preparing for
summer camps. In addition to schools, they may also use community sites
like YMCA and churches and other safe spaces for meetings and practices.
Chestnut Health Systems provides life skills and drug and alcohol
prevention classes in junior high schools. The upcoming year is an
Illinois Youth Survey year. Chestnut operates and updates the Logan and
Mason county resource directories at
www.logancountyresources.org
First Presbyterian and Middletown Presbyterian Church pastor Adam Quine
is also the Co-Director of the Center for Community and Creativity for
students grades 6-8, which is a free after school program with homework
help and mentoring. It currently meets at First Pres. but is not a
religious organization. It is a third space center of brave and
courageous spaces promoting collaboration and artistic expressions.
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The center brings in outside artists, for example, a baker and the
students baked apple pie from scratch, and a photographer who
brought equipment and prints. Nicki Chapman led sound bathing.
Co-director Andy Brant was just hired. They have three opportunities
this summer for students. Last year they doubled in size to 20-33
students and 9 or 10 volunteers, so space is getting tight. They are
looking for larger spaces for meeting.
Synergy Home Care of Central Illinois provides
non-medical services for seniors. There are no weekly minimums for
services, and they accept private pay and workers compensation and
work with the VA. There are also programs for caregivers. They will
host a lemonade stand fundraiser on Koke Mill the second week of
June.
Castle Manor just had a Seniors Prom as one of their activities for
residents. They are looking for cooks and a new kitchen director and
second and third shift CNAs.
The Educational Center for the Vision-Impaired provides education
and training for the visually-impaired. There is a lot of new
technology available and the organization provides training for
using it. Lincoln needs a personal vision coach, as well as funding.
In Springfield, there are health and wellness kits with talking
thermometers and blood pressure cuffs available. Springfield also
has “Cooking with Confidence” classes. Imagine losing eyesight and
not knowing where to turn for health. Most clients have age-related
vision loss, and are very fearful. The organization provides help.
The Oasis is letting them use a room in their building. They are
looking for speakers for Marvelous Mondays once a month. Their goal
is for people with vision loss to be included. This organization was
instrumental in getting talking traffic lights in Springfield. They
are working on getting audio descriptions at Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library. The organization needs community and funding
support. There was a golf outing fundraiser on June 6 at Longbridge
Golf Course. In September, they will host a Blind Awareness Fair.
The Center is also looking for opportunities for low vision clients
to volunteer and work.
Regional Substance Use Prevention and Integration
Center with Family Guidance Centers covers 26 counties. The
organization brings substance use prevention to youth serving
programs. They are a resource for parents and can provide staff
trainings.
Silver Fox Senior Fitness has classes at the Oasis and YMCA and
water fitness classes.
Senior Life Solutions provides group therapy for seniors in Logan
County and surrounding counties at LMH. The program is open for
patients 65 or older or on Medicare. The program provides support
for grief, depression, and aging. Clients can self-refer; they do
not need a doctor’s referral. Participants meet 3 days a week and
the hospital provides lunch. Counselor Tisha Bayliss has also
started a free monthly support group for grief and for caregivers.
LMH Market is 8 a.m.-noon every Saturday through September at the
Logan County Fair Grounds. The May walking challenge had 288 people
finish the challenge and 367 total participants. Participants’ miles
equaled walking the equivalent of one and a half times around the
world.
The Substance Use Prevention Coalition is recruiting and will have
an orientation in July. September is Recovery month with recovery
walks scheduled.
Memorial Behavioral Health reported that the Mobile Crisis Team is
available 24/7. Counseling is available for adults and children with
no waitlist. Case management is available for those with mental
illness and on Medicaid. Intake appointments can be in-person or
over the phone. They are going to start a caregiver support group
for caregivers of children with ADHD and are working on establishing
a day and time.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are volunteers assigned to
a foster child or family involving child neglect. One volunteer is
assigned per case, as opposed to a case worker who has many clients.
CASA is recruiting volunteers and a new grant expanded the program
into Logan County. Volunteers have access to records and can
communicate with schools and family members. The volunteer will be a
consistent person in the child’s life. The time commitment is
approximately ten hours a month of work depending on the case.
Volunteers come from all walks of life.
The Coordinator of WIC at LCDPH reports that WIC is now delivered
via debit cards through Title 19 for those with Medicaid benefits
and income at 185% of the poverty index. WIC also serves the
surrounding counties and provides nutrition education in exchange
for coupons for fruits and veggies. Coupons are forthcoming for the
LMH Market. Breastfeeding counselors are available and a
Breastfeeding support group meets weekly at the Parents Resource
Center.
SIU Family Medicine will be at LMH Market once a month to help sign
ups for SNAP benefits.
The next Community Health Collaborative meeting will be September 4.
[Stephanie Hall] |
