Photo: Loyola University Chicago

PP4H Members Host Roundtable Discussion with Sen. Durbin
Senator Dick Durbin met with Proviso Partners for Health on March 8, 2019 to learn about our health equity and systems-change work. The Senator’s Chicago HEAL Initiative is working to reduce community violence with Loyola Medicine and nine other Chicago-area hospitals and the communities they serve through upstream efforts that support thriving communities.

Proviso Partners for Health recognizes that local jobs, healthy and affordable food, and a shared sense of safety are all essential to creating a culture of health in our Proviso community. We are excited to welcome Sen. Durbin back for a community tour this spring to learn more about the transformative work our partners are leading to sustain a thriving Proviso!

PP4H Mission Statement:
To build capacity to address racial, health, and economic inequities through partnerships while leveraging community assets and wisdom.

Who We Are:

Proviso Partners for Health (PP4H) is a community-driven, multi-sector coalition promoting community health, health equity, and transformational systems change in the Proviso communities of Maywood, Bellwood, Broadview, and Melrose Park.
PP4H is comprised of Loyola University Health System, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, Respiratory Health Association, Housing Helpers, Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children, Proviso Township Youth Services, Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, Proviso School Districts 89 and 209, and more than a dozen other community and social service agencies and businesses.
PP4H partners work collaboratively to implement policy, systems, and environmental change strategies that promote racial, social, and economic equity within Proviso Township.
PP4H is a recognized leader for collaboration and partnership between grassroots and local and regional organizations.

What PP4H Does

Vision:
A thriving, safe, healthy, and inclusive community built on love.

Values:
Youth inclusion, community assets, trust and integrity, balanced power, unity and diversity, and safety.

Leadership Goals:
We transform communities by improving health and economic growth through:

Shared leadership and power
Innovation and social enterprise
Leveraged resources and assets
Capacity building
We envision a community that encourages and supports healthy eating, active living, and economic opportunity where we live, work and play!

How PP4H is Organized:
PP4H uses groups called Hubs to organize areas of interest
Representing community organizations and residents, members align with one or more PP4H Hub to advance policy, systems and/or environmental changes for a collective impact to improve community health and economic growth.

Hubs include: Economic Justice and Community Leadership Academy; Food Justice; Elementary School Wellness; High School Wellness; Built Environment (for active living); and Tobacco-Free Living.
Hubs meet on a regular basis to implement objectives
Members assemble at quarterly PP4H meetings to share accomplishments, strategies, lessons learned and resources
PP4H provides administrative and technical support to build on strengths and resources of the community through liaisons who are community members.

Our Hubs:

Economic Justice and Community Leadership Academy
The Community Leadership Academy (CLA) offers residents with lived experience the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and learn innovative strategies for sustainable community transformation and economic development.

Offers peer learning workshops to residents and access to a national network of cutting-edge community change activists
Promotes and incubates social enterprises and worker-owned cooperatives

Elementary School Wellness,
District 89
The Elementary School Wellness Hub sponsors and promotes activities and programs that support families to live healthier lifestyles.

Hub activities encourage children to be more physically active and make healthy lifestyle choices.
Providing evidence-based information, equipment, and support to schools and families

High School Wellness, District 209
The High School Wellness Hub is developing strategies to improve student health and wellness at the District’s three high schools.

The District 209 School Wellness Committee engages community members, parents, and school staff in the development and promotion of wellness programs and practices
Places special emphasis on improved nutrition and physical activity opportunities for students to support their health and healthy living

Video describing Proviso East High School's School-Based Health Center and what it can do for students and their families.

Video Featuring Proviso East's School-Based Health Center
Produced by the Illinois Terrorism Task Force: Mental Health & School Violence
The Proviso School-based Health Clinic provides help coping with stress from school, family, relationships or other causes.

Food Justice
The Food Justice Hub supports and strengthens the local food system through urban gardening, farm stands, and Veggie Rx, and increases the supply of and demand for fresh, locally grown, high quality produce. Cultivates health equity and community economic business development.

Manages the urban agriculture growing, harvest donations, and farm stand sales for the Giving Garden and other PP4H community gardens
Educates and trains Proviso youth on urban agriculture and improving job readiness skills
Supports PP4H's Veggie RX no-cost fresh produce distribution program serving local families in partnership with Loyola health clinics
(Read a great story about VeggieRX from Loyola University)

Built Environment and Safe Passage
The Built Environment Hub's mission is to develop a system for safe passage to schools and a culturally relevant model to increase community safety and promote physical activity and walkability.

Works with parent teacher organizations to develop and pilot system-wide safe passage to school routes in District 89 elementary and middle schools
Designs and hosts parent leadership training on safe passage to schools
Develops and supports local strategies to enhance public spaces, parks, and green infrastructure for walkability and healthy activities for all

Tobacco-Free Living
The Tobacco-Free Living Hub partners with the community to take a stand against tobacco and reduce tobacco use, exposure to secondhand smoke, and the poor health outcomes associated with tobacco use.

Works to reduce initiation and use of tobacco products by youth and young adults, and the use of tobacco products among adults
Advocates for local policies that reduce tobacco use, including Tobacco 21 ordinances for Proviso communities and Cook County Tobacco 21 policy development
Engages community members, including local high school students, in the Tobacco-Free Living Hub.

Tobacco 21 from Cook County Public Health on Vimeo.

Our People:

Christopher Epps is the farm manager at PP4H where he produces locally grown organic produce in the township of Proviso. Christopher has recently finished a sustainable AG apprenticeship with the Windy City Harvest program and now works with Proviso Partners building a better community.
Chris works in support of the Veggie RX program along with mentoring others in the Windy City Harvest corps program. A big believer that we are what we eat, Chris supports the Food Justice movement and is currently working on creating Sustainable Solutions with PP4H. He can be reached at christopherepps823@gmail.com

Deniene Willis is the leader of PP4H's Community Leadership Academy and Founder of Trustycup Productions. The Academy focuses on leadership, collaboration, economic development and provides information and access to a national network change experts. Non-for-Profit Trustycup Production’s mission is to use the performing arts as a catalyst to develop leadership skills principles, and values in and among residents and youth.

Mary Mora is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Loyola University Chicago. She works with the Proviso Partners for Health (PP4H) and am able to focus on food access and community health and wellness in Maywood, IL, as well as the surrounding communities. Born and raised in the Proviso Township, Mary has a close connection to this community.

Ann Andreoni is the co-leader of the Elementary Education Hub for PP4H who enjoys finding ways for students and families to “make the healthy choice the easy choice” through simple changes in policy, systems and environments. Her efforts to create Active Recess spaces on school playgrounds support her strong belief that physical activity should be an enjoyable part of a healthy lifestyle.
Ann is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Assistant Professor in the Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing who received her professional undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Contact at: vandreoni@luc.edu

John ‘Jack' Hertenstein Perez is the project coordinator for Proviso Partners for Health (PP4H), where he coordinates and co-leads food justice and evaluation capacity building efforts with community residents, local institutions, and community-based organizations. He also facilitates work between PP4H’s various hubs and initiatives.
Jack received his Master of Public Heath from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health and is passionate about the potential community-owned agriculture has in building local community power and ensuring healthy foods are accessible and available. Contact Jack at john.hperez@phimc.org

Proviso Partners For Health

What PP4H Does

“For a community to be whole and healthy, it must be based on people’s love and concern for each other.” -Millard Fuller

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