HR0765 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0765 LRB093 21592 HSS 49157 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois are pleased to honor the Senn High School Health Center on the occasion of its open house that occurred on Monday, March 22, 2004; and

WHEREAS, The clinic was started by Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital, who ran the clinic prior to Heartland Health Outreach (HHO); the program became a part of HHO in the spring of 2002 when Weiss Hospital became a for-profit hospital; and

WHEREAS, The goal of Senn Health Center is to improve the physical and emotional health of Senn students and teach them life-long, positive health behaviors; the Center provides primary health care services for approximately 1,800 Senn High School students, including health assessment, physical exams, diagnosis and treatment of illness and injury, health education, prevention services, and laboratory services; students benefit from the partnership with HHO by having access to additional comprehensive primary medical care, including radiology, pharmacy, diagnostic, and dental care offered at a sliding scale fee; and

WHEREAS, The Center is located at 5900 N. Glenwood, in Edgewater and operates out of a newly renovated space within the school; the funding for the newly renovated space was provided by the Chicago Board of Education; the space includes three exam rooms, a handicap accessible bathroom, a laboratory, storage room, and access to a large meeting room; and

WHEREAS, The program is collaborative in nature; Alternatives, Inc., a youth services agency in Uptown, provides mental health services 20 hours per week; other partners include Senn High School, The Chicago Board of Education, Polk Bros. (primary funder of the clinic), Grant Healthcare (2002-2003 funder), and the Lurie Foundation (funded the program in 2002); and

WHEREAS, Senn High School has a very diverse student population; 44% of the students were born outside the United States and hail from 60 different countries; 61% of the student body speaks a language other than English in their homes; 24.4% of the students have limited English language proficiency; through HHO, Senn students have access to interpretive services in 40 languages; and

WHEREAS, The Senn Health Center strives to improve the physical, emotional, and mental health of Senn students by promoting healthy lifestyles and providing accessible preventative and curative health services; it works to reduce absenteeism from school due to illness and to decrease the rate of truancy and school drop outs due to emotional and mental health challenges; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor the Senn Health Center for the invaluable health care services it provides to the students of Senn High School; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Senn Health Center as an expression of our esteem.