The Dr. Jorge Prieto Family Health Center was founded by Dr. Jorge Prieto in 1972 as South Lawndale Health Center in the primarily Mexican-American neighborhood of Little Village. The area was originally Bohemian and there are still elderly residents of Eastern European origin. However, the vast majority of the populationis still from Mexico, particularly the south-central Mexican states of Michoacan, Durango, Jalisco and Guanajuato. Many of these immigrants come from smaller, agriculturally based communities in Mexico, and the difficulties of adjusting to life in the United states
often stems more from an unfamiliarity with inner-city urban life.



Patient Population

A majority of our patients reside in the Little Village community. This community faces problems common to the inner city: gangs, poverty, overcrowded housing and schools and environmental toxicity (asthma and lead). The jobs that are available for non-English speaking immigrants often involve long hours and hard labor. Many of our patients hold minimum wage jobs as factory workers, janitors and day laborers. Little Village is a community where the average age is 18.

 

Location

The clinic is located on the south side of Chicago in the Little Village neighborhood. The name “Little Village” is rooted in the strong sense of community, of a “village in a city” that residents have about the South Lawndale community. Walking down 26th Street, the commercial center of the neighborhood, you have the sense that you could be in a town located in Mexico. Business at banks, supermarkets, and retail shops is conducted in Spanish, and good and services offered are distinctly Mexican. Despite of the ills of inner-city life in this community there are great strengths. Merchants have supported renovations and community work, including the board of our clinic. Some residents and faculty live in the community to advocate positive change.

Map to Dr. Jorge Prieto Family Health Center

Clinic Site

The South Lawndale Health Center was re-named after Cook County Hospital founding Chairman of family medicine to honor him after his retirement from clinical work. The clinic was very popular and quickly outgrew the limits of its physical space. The structure was only 4500 square feet, serving 29,000 outpatient visits yearly. Working with the clinic’s community board, the department of family practice was able to secure a new location and finance a new site of 17,000 square feet capable of handling 50,000 patient visits. This new clinic opened in the fall of 1996 and has expanded services which include the following:

                    Laboratory
                    Radiology, including mammography and plain film
                    Social work services
                    WIC
                    MANG (application for public aid and Kidcare)
                    Bilingual Family Therapist
                    Diabetic Dietician
                    Diabetes/Hypertension Promotora
                    Social work – lead abatement
                    Prenatal Classes
                    Domestic Violence Support Group
                    Relaxation Group
                    OB/GYN Consulting Physician
                    Home Visits  
 


Last reviewed: November 02, 2011
 
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