CHICAGO, IL – June 26, 2020
CHICAGO – The Loretto Hospital in conjunction with State Representative
La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, announces the formation of the West Side
Behavioral Health Task Force during these stressful and uncertain times
on the West Side of Chicago. Bringing in overdue and much needed support
to the streets and homes will offer some level of relief for those dealing
with trauma, stress, and depression. The Task Force will be announced
at a press conference on Monday, June 29, 2020, 10:00 a.m. at The Loretto Hospital.
Over Father’s Day weekend 2020 in Chicago, 104 people were shot,
14 fatally. 41 people were shot, 6 of them fatally, this past Monday in
Chicago. These numbers include innocent children. A 3-year-old boy was
shot while sitting in a vehicle with his stepfather, and a 13-year-old
girl who also died after being shot in the neck while watching TV in her own home.
Rashad K. Saafir, Ph.D., President & CEO of the Bobby E. Wright Comprehensive
Behavioral Health makes this statement: “It is time that we recognize
that violence in Black and Brown communities is deeply rooted in historical
and cultural factors including racism and ethnocultural discrimination.
These factors have produced social and environmental conditions that impair
the ability of some Black and Brown people to contribute productively
to the community. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental
health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes
his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can
work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to
his or her community.”
“Clearly violence, as witnessed in the city of Chicago last weekend
affects the mental health of our community. If we are going to reduce
gun violence and stop the senseless killing of our children, then we must
find ways to improve the mental/behavioral health of those who commit
acts of violence and heal those who are traumatized by it. Rebuilding
Chicago’s West Side requires more than capital investments. It is
imperative that we invest resources to improve the psychological and emotional
wellbeing of the people who live there. The West Side Behavioral Health
Task Force is established to accomplish the mission of eradicating the
conditions that produce violence in our communities (i.e. racism, poor
mental health and substance abuse) and improve the state of wellbeing
of citizens on Chicago’s West Side.”
“Trauma and violence in our community should not be the norm. We
must be vigilant in our efforts to achieve a new norm that lifts mental
health and wellness as critical keys to our survival,” said Donald
Dew, CEO of Habilitative Systems, Inc. (HSI).
Ford will also call for immediate support from federal, state, county,
and city for the work of the Task Force. There will be a call for people
impacted by violence to seek counseling support for strong mental health.
George N. Miller, Jr., President and CEO of The Loretto Hospital in the
Austin Neighborhood says, “As a longstanding community hospital
in Austin, we see more patients treated on the backend of the violence
instead of the frontend, where it can really make a difference. Our hospital
is prepared to offer new and innovative behavioral & mental health
programs to continue to invest in the needs of our community and ensure
that we see a significant reduction in the number of victims of violence
that end up in our Emergency Department week after week.”
“With the level of violence on the West Side, psychological trauma
care is mandatory for our families,” said Ford. “Violence
is a result of poverty and must be addressed with increased human services
and support.”