South Side Healthcare Collaborative

Connecting to a Primary Care Medical Home

The South Side Healthcare Collaborative (SSHC) has been committed to helping people find and connect to quality healthcare. Known previously as the South Side Health Collaborative, the SSHC is a broad network of community-based health providers with a vision to improve the overall health of Chicago's South Side. The Collaborative's mission is to help residents make a long-term connection with a primary care medical home and improve access to other health and social support services that help maintain optimal health and well-being.

The first program of the SSHC has focused on patients who rely on the University of Chicago Medical Center Emergency Room (ER) for healthcare because they do not have a regular doctor or health provider. Patient advocates in the ER talk one-on-one with patients to help them understand the benefits of having a primary care medical home--a place where a regular doctor or health professional manages and coordinates their care. Since 2005, more than 27,000 patients have received information about SSHC resources, and more than 13,000 have been connected to those services.

The University of Chicago Medical Center has facilitated and staffed the SSHC, since its inception. Today the SSHC has several working groups that focus on several key policy areas:

• Quality of Healthcare
• Access to Specialty Care
• Marketing and Communication

The SSHC includes a broad range of community-based health providers, such as those that participate in the primary care referral program. Download a map of South Side Healthcare Collaborative provider locations (PDF).

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