Chicago Politics

Humboldt Park Health Wellness Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony 1.14.25

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Humboldt Park Health Wellness Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

Transcript

0:26 I know it's a little warm. We're working to make some adjustments on that. We are beyond thrilled to have such a crowd. It's a great problem to have. But we know it's a little toasty, so we'll see what we can do. And without further ado, I'm going We're going to turn the mic over to the man in charge. It is absolutely a great, great day. Thank you for being here.

0:57 I wanted to welcome all of you to this incredible field day, which was put together with a number of efforts from everywhere. So let me begin by saying good afternoon, esteemed guests. Good afternoon. and colleagues. Can you hear me? It is great to see you all here for this very special

1:27 occasion. I would like to begin by recognizing key people that are here today. Let me begin by thanking and welcoming Mayor Johnson, actually taking time to do this schedule. I also want to welcome Vice Mayor Walter Burnett,

1:58 a good friend of this committee, Attorney General Kwame Rahul, and of course, President Senate Don Harmon, who is here. We are also thrilled to welcome

2:29 State Senator Graciela Guzman, Representative Lillian Jimenez, and we also have in the room State Director of Clarison Duque, representing Senator Durbin, and on behalf of Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, and Anita Allen is here for Congressman Jackson's office, and our Managing

3:12 Deputy Commissioner Dean Jeffrey is here as well. Thank you all for being here. It has been my distinct honor and pleasure to work with Senator Omar Aquino for all of these years. He ensured that the funding from the state was allocated for this project. Please know that this building what had never been realized without the support, vision,

3:46 the strategic action that secure the funding. Senator, thank you. And, of course, many thanks to the distinguished older person, Jesse Fuente, who has already been reporting all of our work. So when I was writing this, just early around 2 in the morning,

4:22 I said, what can I say about Jesse? and I say, you are the tribe of our community and a gift to Humboldt Park. We are also fortunate to have a controller, Susana Mendoza, who is always all those checks from the state that don't come by rules. So you've got to keep up the phone and call.

4:53 Susana, thank you. If this project would have never been possible, We now have the Board of Directors' support. I want to thank all the trustees of the hospital, but also our chairman of the board, Rachel, and around here, Rachel, thank you. And of course, a special thank to Michael Reed, our foundation board chair,

5:25 and also members of the Board of Trustees, and the foundation board for raising money every year to make this place where we are today, to our board member, Kevin Kermut, whose expertise as an engineer has been instrumental. I cannot stress that too much. A.J. will help me for his invaluable strategic advocacy

6:01 for all of the safety in the hospital in our city who is here. A.J., thank you for the This beautiful building would have never been also possible with all the participation of many individuals who are present today. Luis Cuid and the team from Old Construction.

6:32 And of course, the brilliant architecture of Juan Gabriel Moreno, who is not here, and dance for Sandra Pecani and the T of the JJMA You know, we have been working with JJMA for so many years and actually at the beginning of this project back in 2019 we did a lot of program work and I want to recognize that for our community. I also want to recognize

7:10 the dedication and development efforts that are a part of this project and their weekly basis. There were calls every single week. A special heartfelt thank to Chris Ragusa for her leadership. I put a lot of fire, but it worked. I wanted to mention that, you know,

7:49 Omel Park Health is the first hospital in the Midwest to acquire health equity certification. by the Joint Commission and number 13 in the country. Our community celebrates many ethnicities and every member of this community will have access to this center. This wellness center represents health equity in action.

8:26 This is a healing space for those that need the level of service. We focus on the health of the community of Humboldt Park and whose surrounding community. In that spirit, I want to recognize three people who have devoted their life to preserving the culture of this community. Jose Lope from the Puerto Rican.

9:02 This has been an honor and a privilege to serve this community. One who actually is from the outside. that arrived in this city 14 years ago and was embraced and supported as if I had been here.

9:35 Thank you. Moving forward toward the future, West makes Cajombo Park Health. This is the beginning of a master plan development for this community. We are continuing. To address the social determinants of health in our community by having a center like this one

10:06 and also focusing on full security, safety, and of course, housing. We are going to address all of this issue one by one. Our first order is to build 100 units of affordable housing to protect the legacy population with strange gentrification that is displacing our people from the community.

10:42 But in order to do this, we must continue to extend the boundary to include our hospital in its deep history. I wanted to thank all the men and Vice Mayor Walter Burnett for actually supporting this project.

11:18 Thank you for helping us do this. In case, if I don't mention the individuals that support me every single day to get the work done and support my vision, those individuals are the executive team of the hospital who are my pillar and my foundation. I want them all to stand up and wave their hands, though we know who they are, we recognize them.

11:52 I also want to be able to recognize the individuals that actually put these events together. Many of them are here. This is a lot of work. King Frank, Cassandra Thompson, and a number of others who actually supported this project. Thank you for being here.

12:24 And when I take a look about this project, where we are today, putting together all of the equipment and the program, I will be remiss if I don't say thank you to Deborah Sienna who have worked for one who we lost for a long time to get a vote good. So I'm supposed to be bringing Senator Omar Aquino to say a few words now.

12:54 But I think as I, as a good Puerto Rican who came from a big city called New York, I wanted to say a few words in Spanish. If you may. Buenas tardes, mi nombre es José R. Sánchez, soy el presidente del hospital Humboldt Park. Llegué a esta ciudad hace 14 años y he dedicado mi vida profesional a la salud pública.

13:30 De Brooklyn, el Bronx, Manhattan, y hoy, seis años atrás, tuvimos la visión de crear un centro de salud para la comunidad y hoy estamos celebrando la apertura de este centro. Mi agradecimiento y gratitud a nuestros líderes elegidos

14:03 por el apoyo y guiarnos donde estamos hoy. Gracias al senador Omar Aquino, que fue instrumental en traer los fondos para este proyecto, nuestro líder en el Consejo Municipal, Jesse Fuentes, y nuestro representante en la Asamblea Estatal, Gina Jiménez. Gracias por el apoyo.

14:35 Este centro es dedicado a nuestra comunidad, pero consiste en crear una intersección entre salud, cultura y bienestar social. Al mismo tiempo que podamos celebrar la designación Como la ciudad de Puerto Rico en Humboldt Park, este es el comienzo de un plan de desarrollo

15:11 para esta comunidad, trabajando con otros grupos y líderes comunitarios para transformar nuestra. Espero que lo utilicen y que sea de beneficio para todos el pueblo. Bien, gracias por la oportunidad de estar con ustedes. Okay, now without further ado, I just want to introduce the real, the mayor of the hour

15:42 who will actually help us to get where we are, Senator Omar Iqin. For warning the mayor that I just have 10 pages from the back, and she's not a stranger to Humble Park, so thank you for being here.

16:15 I do have a few notes dotted down, but I speak more from the heart, and this event here today is a very special day for this community, this hospital. I'm a resident nearby. I live just a few blocks away, and I joke because there's two hospitals that I get to represent in the General Assembly, and that is St. Mary's, St. Elizabeth, down the street at Humble Park Health here, one of the members from a region American hospital. And I joke about that if I fall one way or the other, I go to a certain hospital.

16:51 But truly, actually, this and for my family, I live in a multi-generational household. My parents, myself, my brother, and my wife, and my children all live in the same building, much like a lot of the residents here. And we share that and we're proud to be here, a family that has lived on Augusta and Rockwell since the 1960s. So this community is so much to me and a generation of people that left a beautiful island called

17:21 Aisla de Encanto, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico, to come to freeze them. But to be warmed in community together in a place that we now call home in Apple Park. It's a special day here. And so, for those that don't know, it was rebranded recently, it used to be called Norwegian American Hospital, it was rebranded because this community, you know, Norwegian used to call this place home many years ago, not so many around anymore, and that's fine, but we had to think about who this hospital is serving and who it will serve into the future.

18:02 And so it was named after a beautiful park just right across the street here that represents, when you say Humboldt Park and someone from Chicago, the first thing, I'm sure you think about, are some beautiful steel flags. We think about the community and the culture and what we have brought, the salsas, both salsas and the food and salsas and the dancing to this great city. to the beautiful people that this place that many people call home, beautiful people that

18:39 unfortunately, because of so many different reasons, are impacted by disproportionate health outcomes. We are more likely, if you live here in Puerto Rican, or if you're not, if you live in Humboldt Park, unfortunately, you're more likely to have type 2 diabetes than other folks outside of this community. If you live here, you are more likely to have cardiovascular issues than other folks outside of this community. The health experts here know about this a lot more than I do.

19:10 There are certain cancers that are more predominant in this community than others. But today we are living the tagline of the renewed Humble Park Health, Advancing Health Equity. This is what health equity looks like. An investment of $30 million right here in the heart of Humble Park. people and community on the west side of chicago that is something to get people that for too long

19:42 have been ignored that during the the epidemic that we just went through of the pandemic that this place saved saved every day tons and tons of people that during that time saved many many lives because of the fact that unfortunately this was an epicenter of of COVID, because of a lot of social inequities that impact our health. But thanks to the team that we have here, and the thought that we have in terms of investing into our people, into our health,

20:13 and understanding that health doesn't start or stop between the four walls of a hospital, that it goes beyond that. That's what this day represents. An opportunity for wellness, of not just oneself, but one's entire family, of building not generational wealth necessarily, but generational health. Passing on that. Some of the afflictions that I talked about about health issues are hereditary. That means that you can do everything you want,

20:45 but unfortunately there's some gene in you, something, science says, that it's going to pass along. But what we have here today is that we can help try to pass along something even better. A healthy life. an opportunity so that if my child is healthy going to school, maybe they can learn a little bit more. If they're not going hungry, maybe they retain just a little bit more so that their future is one that is right and thriving. That is what today is all about.

21:15 And we should clap about that. That represents its equalizing access, providing access to folks that didn't have that once before into now having a place that they can come, just relax, walk around, maybe take a swim, work out, whatever it is. I plan to sign up not only myself, my family, but my entire household so that we can come walk over.

21:45 It's going to be our little way to kind of warm up in the cold days like this and work out together and say, hey, if we are going to eat a fritura from one of the post-crushions, please come work out. I will start ending my 10 page remarks with this, there are so many people to thank, I want to first thank all the dignitaries and folks that are here today, the mayor, thank

22:17 you for your patience here, thank you for coming here, and for being here, it means so much to this community, that there's so many cameras that are putting Humble Park on the forefront today that people are thinking of Humboldt Park and thinking of this great building and those beautiful flags and people that live here but in particular I want to thank the Humboldt Park health community and that's all of its all this former and current staff members that show up here every single

22:50 day if you're a health care provider if you work in the executive team if you work, you know, cleaning up, being the security, whatever it is, if you are a staff member of Public Park Health, I want to thank you so much. Board members of both the board and the foundation, I want to thank my colleagues, including with the Senate President. Jose had mentioned that I did a lot of work to securing state funding for this, which

23:22 is true, but you don't do this work alone. And certainly our leader in the Senate, Senate President Donald Harmon, as much as much to do with this for his commitment to making sure that when we build in Illinois it's not just in certain places, it's all in every single community, communities like this. To the director, Kirsten Richards, you know, from DCEO that managed the grants, thank you

23:52 to her and her entire team, those grant managers, a special shout out to who is there taking calls every time when the dollars don't go to the hospital or anybody else, he can get there to answer. My former colleagues in the Senate, Senator Arias Martinez, for their commitment and support. State Representative Lillian Jimenez. And my partner in crime before her, who helped as well, are now our Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, who also did a large lift into helping this.

24:24 To the construction, to all of those, all the men and women that did something to help build this place in any single way, Thank you, and to the architect of J.D. of Maine, thank you for your beautiful vision and putting it. I mean, this is such a jewel that we have here in the middle of the heart of Humble Park. And then at the very end, lastly, this would not have happened if this gentleman right here,

24:54 supposedly from New York, or really not was around here, did not keep praying. Pressing on and pressing on to advocate. There is no better advocate for shaking hands toward hospitals in general and for health equity than this man right here. A visionary and a dedicated worker for this community. And I thank you for your partnership and your advocacy for this community.

25:26 We are honored and lucky to have you. And it's New York's loss and certainly Chicago's game. And I will end with this and introducing a great man, like what I said, as is no stranger to Humboldt Park, representing on the county level communities of Humboldt Park, of Austin and the nearby, and now gets to represent an entire city, the best city in the world. That is Mayor Brandon Johnson.

26:05 Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for that wonderful welcome. Jose, thank you for your leadership. I just wanted you to know that our sports teams were doing much better before they moved here. They were going to win a championship. I just wanted you to know that we've got to work that out, okay? But this is truly an honor to be here today as we celebrate this groundbreaking. As Senator Kino said, Mahoma Park is a special place. You know, always shout out 1455.

26:36 I had a chance to vote for Billy Acasio and run for my first political office, which was being on the local school council. So all of those who wanted to stop my political aspirations, they should have gotten me when I was in the 26th century. It's too late now, I'm here. So, again, I want to thank all the elected officials that are here today, the state, local partners, and the staff who made this day possible. You know, today is a really exciting day to the residents of the people of Humble Park.

27:07 You know, we are seeing, unfortunately, a higher rate of diabetes, food insecurity, and lack of access to health care and fitness options in Humble Park. So that's why Humble Park Health Wellness Center is such an important investment for the people of this community. We invested the City of Chicago $2.5 million into this project through our Department of Planning and Development grant program. Thank you to our Commissioner, C.R. Albright, and to our Vice Mayor. He didn't realize that when he named that title as Vice Mayor, that everybody would want a piece of him.

27:43 So congratulations, Mr. Vice Mayor. This was among nearly two dozen projects that were selected to advance citywide, very competitive funding round. 600 applicants, which is truly a testament to the readiness and the need that this particular facility will provide. This investment complements other investments that have been made in Humboldt Park to ensure affordable housing,

28:17 that we promote business activity along the Paseo Bariqua and the Humboldt Park neighborhood. You like how I said that, right? But this center will offer residents access to health, fitness services, amenities, including a swimming pool, a gym, running track, exercise classes, and, of course, my favorite, the Kids Club. It will also include a rehabilitation room for different forms of therapy, a space for nutritional counseling, a diabetes education, and cooking classes.

28:47 We're doing it all here in Humble Park. This location, of course, is along the commercial corridor, making it accessible for residents in public transportation. But more importantly, the Wellness Center bridges the gap between traditional hospitals and a more holistic approach towards healing and wellness. This means that we can address and improve community health before residents need access to more intensive medical services, lowering the number of preventable illnesses and starting to have treatment much sooner.

29:22 By investing in the people and this community that have unfortunately been left behind, we are ensuring that all residents, no matter their zip code, can live a healthy and a prosperous life. We know that projects like this don't happen in a vacuum. It's because of the partnerships and collaboration between elected officials, community partners, and organizations that we are building better together and ultimately creating more spaces like this one in Humboldt Park, the Humboldt Park Health Wellness Center.

29:56 This is ultimately designed to improve the lives of residents. as Senator Patino has articulated for generations to come. So let's continue to work together to build a better, stronger, and I must say for Chicago for everyone. So with that, almost 25 years ago, I strove into this gentleman's office because I believe that he had tremendous potential to be a leader one day and that he had just become a state senator representing the west side, and the west-west side of Oak Park, considered to be your friend and the true champion. Humboldt Park will be able to do it. State Senator, Senate President, Don Harmore.

30:30 Well, good afternoon all. Thank you, Mayor, for a kind introduction. It's an honor to be with you all here today and to share the stage with so many friends and electric officials. Appreciate you, Mayor. I also want to call out the folks from the state. Our Comptroller, John Matos is here, and Kristen Richards is our CBCO. I saw the Attorney General Kwame Raul here. I don't know if he has slipped out.

31:03 Thank you, Senator Aquino, for the invitation to be part of this. I cannot emphasize enough how much your hard work made it possible to secure funding for this project in our capital bill. But this is exactly the kind of thing we had in mind when we passed the capital bill more than five years ago. We were able to listen to community members, tell us what they really need, and direct resources to where they think will make the most impact. So today is the beginning of the realization of a long-held dream for this community.

31:34 It's the first step to bring better health outcomes, equity, and housing opportunities to the neighborhood. And this is all thanks to the dedication of community members and organizations that never stopped advocating for the future of Humboldt Park. So congratulations on this momentous occasion. What a great facility. This is fantastic. I'm not sure if we're in the show. Am I introducing somebody else? Thanks to Joan. All right. Jesse Quinte.

32:07 Can we once again give a congratulatory applause to the members of the board, both at the hospital, the foundation, and this great man, Jose Sanchez. 14 years ago, we were privileged to welcome a man who wasn't just a leader. We see leaders every day, leading institutions, being CEOs of big corporations. There's a difference between a man who can run a multi-million dollar institution,

32:38 and then there's a man who envisions how much more we can grow and serve the residents of our community, and that is what we have in post-sensual. As a type 1 diabetic and someone who was recently diagnosed with asthma, there is no one else that understands more how important it is to have a facility like the Humboldt Park Health Wellness Center. You see, in a community like Humboldt Park where Puerto Rican suffered from diabetes, high blood pressure, rates of cancer, and asthma, we often don't have the resources that are needed to prevent the illness from being terminal.

33:21 Often what happens in communities like ours is that we're often giving intervention after intervention after intervention until our people are so ill that they can't move forward. The Humboldt Park Health Wellness Center will ensure that we put prevention first, that the people of our community deserve wraparound services and access to wellness and workout facilities and don't need to make six figures a year to have that sort of lifestyle. The Humboldt Park Health Wellness Center will offer sliding scale prices for low-income families

34:00 to enjoy a facility that has an Olympic-sized swimming pool, rehabilitation rooms, a strength training room, a spinning glass, and a running track. You can't get that in a lot of places, but you have it right here in Humboldt Park across the most beautiful park in the city of Chicago. And then there was a man that understood that he needed to go down the street field every single session to get the dollars to make that mission possible, and that is Senator Omar Latina.

34:32 It doesn't happen alone. When you get to cut a ribbon on a facility like Humboldt Park Health Wellness Center, it is because there is an organized community that allowed that to happen. And I'd be remiss if I didn't thank people like Jose Lopez, the leadership of the Puerto Rican agenda, the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, and so many other organizations for decades. For decades, have been envisioning what this community can become for the residents of Humboldt Park.

35:07 So much so that we are a culturally designated district known as Forty Children. You see, it's not just wellness facilities. It is the ability to ensure that individuals don't have to worry about how they're going to provide a roof over their children's head and put food in the refrigerator. You see, we need access to health care. We need prevention, and we need to make sure that we continue to build affordable housing because that is how we build self-determined communities.

35:39 And Jose Sanchez already has a development for me that he needs me to find. You see, this is the only beginning, because this community deserves to have the resources where we have affordable housing, where we have health care, where we have a commercial corridor that meets the culinary, retail, and nightlife of this community. We can have it all. We just have to continue to be organized. This current facility, thanks to the incredible work of JGMA, will win architectural awards in the city of Chicago.

36:17 And thanks to the leadership of someone like Luis Quig at All Construction, having young people learn what carpentry and construction looks like, seeing a future for themselves by being a part of this project right here and this political paper. I know you're here. Thank you for all of your work. And finally, to our media, journalists, and press, thank you for once again telling the story of resilience in Humboldt Park.

36:52 Because all too often, we turn on the news or we flip the newspaper and we read and we hear about some of the things that we are grappling with, whether that is homicide, whether that is gang violence. But today in this community, we are showing the city and the world just how you grapple with those systemic issues. It doesn't mean mass criminalization of residents that live in that community. It means providing the resources they need and deserve and often are screaming for.

37:26 that is wellness, that is health, that is housing and for as long as you keep me as your old person that's exactly what we're going to be fighting for here this work is impossible without partners and I am lucky to share two offices with a phenomenal champion that goes down to the house of Springfield please help me welcome my state rep, your state rep, Lillian Jimenez thank you, thank you so much to my elder person

38:10 Jesse Fuentes for that wonderful recap of why we're here today and what it took to build what we are here today to celebrate. And I also want to thank my Senator Omar Aquino. I want to thank my Senator Omar Aquino for the vision that he had as well and for the fight that he had in him to go out and make sure to advocate every day for this wonderful fitness the center. So, and we also have, you know, our Senate President here as well, Senator

38:45 President Harmon. I just wanted to shout him out as well so that he knows, that we know that you're here supporting us and you're supporting our community. And that's wonderful to see. The first time I met Senator Harmon was actually, I was doing a culture of health fellowship and we were working on a hospital that was closing in his community. So I know I know he cares about safety and net hospitals and we're going to keep coming back to you for support for our safety and hospitals including Humboldt Health here. So just wanted to give that a shout out and go.

39:19 I obviously feel that I am honored and humbled to be here in this moment even speaking to you all because of the wonderful work our Senator Aquino has done to bring us here today. and because of the wonderful work that our Congresswoman de Ramirez did to get us to where we are. And I am standing in their footsteps, on their shoulders. You know they're older than me. I'm still standing on their shoulders because I'm learning every day from the work that they're doing, and I am working to continue to keep working hard to make sure our community

39:52 and the needs of our community are front and center. I am also here as a resident, as a mom of West Humboldt Park. of the West Side, because I know the needs of our communities deeply. My son goes to school five blocks from here. I've been working in this community for 20 years, and every day I see the needs, the deep needs in our community, the poverty, the mental health needs, the substance abuse. It is not a secret. Many people, and our other person alluded to it, many people understand what our needs

40:26 are. And today, I am so humbled to be here, standing on the shoulders, Jose Lopez, Billy Ocasio, everyone, and especially the man who brought us here with this vision, to think about what are our assets? How do we build upon those assets? How do we give our community that resiliency that it needs? Because we know the resiliency is there. But most of all, this is a beacon for me, again, as a resident, because as residents walk around, a lot of times we don't feel as a city, state, county.

40:56 cares about us but today and with this center and the investment that the state is doing in in this center we know we can show the community how what the investment is like and that we do care about the community and that is the point of this this beautiful center that it is a beacon of hope for our community to get past what our difficulties are look into our resilience and move forward so thank you so much to everyone who's here thank you all for being here i wanted to introduce our next speaker, who is Director Kristen Richards, who I have a lot of love

41:33 for as a former administrative government person myself. I know the work it takes to get into to make sure that the execution of these wonderful ideas happen. So please help me welcome Director Kristen Richards. Thank you, Representative, for the just that warm introduction. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Kristen Richards. I'm the Director of the LRA Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or DCEO. I am happy to be here today to celebrate the grand opening of the Humboldt Park Health and Wellness Center.

42:08 First and foremost, I want to thank Leader Aquino for your leadership in making this project a reality. Simply put, investments like this one would not be possible without strong leadership in Springfield and the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan. Now, I know firsthand how Governor Prince Herr, President Harmon, and Leader Aquino worked together to create that program in 2019. and Rebuild Illinois-funded projects have helped to reinforce why Illinois is the very best state in the country

42:40 to live, work, and do business. Working hand-in-hand with the state legislature and partners in the state government, like Comptroller Mendoza, the DCEO has been able to reinvest billions of dollars in communities across the state. DCEO will be dedicated to supporting economic development in all of Illinois. We are deploying broadband connectivity, addressing food insecurity, and funding grocery stores and food deserts.

43:10 We're investing in minority-owned businesses to support their capital needs. And this is all because Governor Pritzker is creating programs that open up opportunities for Illinoisans. I'm especially excited about this project because healthy communities thrive. Economic development and the health and wellness of our neighbors go together. So on behalf of everyone at DCO, we're so proud to be involved in this project. Thank you, and with that, it is my absolute honor to introduce Illinois Controler, Susanna Mendez.

43:55 Good afternoon. This is so exciting to be here. I mean, I really feel like we should all take this moment in because there's so much joy, so much happiness, so much success, and so much moving forward in this room right now. I want to start by just acknowledging President Sanchez, superhero extraordinaire. who came out today and joined us. Sure.

44:26 Everyone assembled here today, and so many folks who came out to celebrate this amazing accomplishment. You know, as controller, I am thrilled to get to prioritize the payments of this amazing beacon of health care and wellness here in the Humboldt Park community. But truly, I want to add my voice to those of others who come before me in recognizing Senator Omar Aquino and giving you special praise today because we would not be here today in this group

44:57 so we would not be here. As a former state legislator myself, I know how hard it is to deliver a project of this magnitude. Senator, you made this a priority. You worked your butt off. You gave your word, and you kept it. And for that, I want to say, well done. I want to give special recognition as well, and thank you to President Don Harmon,

45:34 because the legislators do their part to get that money in the budget. But the leaders have a huge role to play in making sure that, ultimately, that Paul gets to the end zone and he can spike it. So thank you, Senator Herman, President Herman Taylor, for your time. Because a facility like this doesn't happen by itself, and it certainly doesn't happen by accident. It's a direct result of this leadership, of their leadership, and I hope that you're all taking it in.

46:05 Now to my friend, President Jose Sanchez, congratulations are, of course, in order to to my friends, to all of your staff, to the volunteers, to every single person who touched this project. And I remember a few years ago, he asked me to emcee the fundraiser, your annual dinner, for this facility, which by the way, if you haven't been to that fundraiser, make sure you sign up for this year's. Because he holds the most awesome and most fun fundraiser

46:36 of any medical space one I've lived in to. But we were talking about then, like when we were, I remember being at the microphone and talking about what we were envisioning the center to look like. And I just have to say how special it is to be here now, just a few short years later, and see, like, be in the space that we were envisioning, that we were dreaming about. But now that dream has become a reality, and it's going to be a reality of better health outcomes, as Omar was talking about, starting with our littlest to our oldest, and everyone in between.

47:06 And when I came up and I saw that track, the first thing I thought about is, like, if you eat it in banana, or you have some of those other goods, you better come get that track. Because we have made sure that our health outcomes continue to improve in this community. But listen, you know, these folks had a vision. Jose, in particular, had this vision that he then took to a state senator, who then got it done. And this is how it's supposed to work. But Jose has been such a tremendous leader every day, with enormous power for positive impact in this community,

47:38 we are truly so blessed and so proud to benefit from your leadership, Jose, in Chicago and in our great state of Illinois. And, you know, right now, my job is to make sure that I get the bills out as quickly as possible. But eight years ago, when you and I really got to know each other, it was in the throes of the budgeted pass. It was when literally people were dying in the state of Illinois because we had gone 736 days without a budget. Where the only bills that I could pay as your controller

48:10 were the bills of people who sued the state of Illinois and won their lawsuit to get paid. And Jose was on my speed dial, or I was on your speed dial. Remember those days? They were brutal days. And I can literally attest to what, I think it was Senator Aquino who said that we haven't had a stronger advocate for safety net hospitals than Jose Sanchez. And I probably talked to him as much as I talked to my husband. Because every day, it was a fire that had to be put out.

48:42 Every day, it was literally working to try to save the state of Illinois finances. But what that meant was saving people's lives in the state and those in the most vulnerable of safety net medical care spaces. Of course, but then it was Norwegian American Hospital. today with your leadership it's home of our health but we're in a much better place financially so let me just finish by saying this it is my job still to make sure that it paints these bills and we're paying super fast so fast and even though

49:14 you were on speed dial during the darkest of days when it was hard to put check front right and never hesitated to do it you'll always be on speed dial and most important CA. The next speaker is an example of why we do this work and why this place is so important for our community residents and it's a resident herself a mother of two someone who has called home a Humboldt Park home for a

49:48 long time and has decided to raise her children right here in this community calls Humboldt Park Health her health care home as well and that is Miss Junikia Franklin, our union. Good afternoon everyone, July 4th, 1996 was the day that I moved to Humboldt Park, just

50:19 three blocks away from where we stand right now at the age of 11 with my single, no nonsense, superwoman mother and little brother. I attended Roberto Jiménez High School, I think I got I gave birth to my firstborn at Norwegian American Hospital, which is now Humboldt Park Health. As I stand here before you today, I am truly overwhelmed with emotion.

50:49 This moment is more than just opening of a wellness facility. It is the opening of a doorway to possibility. A bridge between what was and what can be for so many of us. It is a glimmer of hope. I'm on a feng shui boutique right here in Humboldt Park. Though the economy and the changing of times and resources threaten to close my doors, I am hopeful. This is home. This neighborhood, my neighborhood, is where my journey began.

51:20 These streets hold the echoes of laughter and the dreams of children. But they also hold the weight of challenges and struggles that many of us know all too well. For years, we've navigated life with resilience, often pushing our knees to the side to simply make it through the day. Health, both physical and mental, sometimes felt like a luxury, a privilege for someone else. But today, that changes. This wellness facility is more than just walls and equipment.

51:52 It is a sanctuary. It is a space where we can begin to rewrite the narrative of what it means to thrive in this community. It is a place where self-care is not an afterthought, but a priority. It is accessible to us, the people that live here and have cultivated a life and even made something out of nothing here. Where healing is not something done in isolation, but in the embrace of a community that understands, supports, and uplifts one another.

52:25 If you can't tell, I'm the up-pumpled part. I'm the up-pumpled part. For me, this facility symbolizes hope, a hope that I can pass on to my family. As I reflect on my own journey, I see the struggles of finding balance, of trying to be everything to everyone while quietly neglecting self. I see the impact that neglect can have on relationships, on parenting, on dreams deferred. But I also see the power of change.

52:58 This facility represents a turning point. It's a place where I can invest not only in my own well-being, where I've lost 40 pounds in the last five months, but in the well-being of my children, one of which is a stage four kidney disease fighter, and the other a star athlete. It's a place where they can see what it looks like to prioritize health and balance. It's where families like mine will find tools to build a foundation of wellness

53:29 that extends far beyond these walls. shaping generations to come. And for this community, it means even more. It's a statement that we are deserving of faces that nurture and empower us. It's a reminder that wellness is not a privilege but a right. It's a promise that we will not be forgotten, that our growth and our health matters. So today as we celebrate the opening of this incredible facility, let us remember what it truly represents.

54:02 Let it be a testament to our resilience and a symbol of our commitment to ourselves and to one another. Let it be a place where dreams are nurtured, bodies are strengthened, and spirits are lifted. Together we will create a ripple effect of wellness, of strength, love, and hope. Together we will rewrite what it means to thrive in this neighborhood, our neighborhood, Humboldt Park. my name thank you

54:54 so now without anything to do I would like to introduce The chairman of our board would actually support all of the work that we do, who also gave us an opportunity to make decisions every single day about the faith of our health, also the challenges that we face and also bless us with his guidance

55:28 to the work that we're doing every day. So let me bring to the podium Mr. Richard Bravillio, Chairman of the Board. Richard, thank you. It was a marvelous, a remarkable presentation of speech and message for all of us to hold in our hearts. I want to welcome everybody again. And as I get the chance to sort of close this event, but the distinguished guests for all of the hard work, our colleagues, all of the hospital personnel, and our friends, I'm a partner.

56:09 On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to put our exclamation point on what this ribbon cutting really means. It's been said over and over, but I want to put another accent on it. I was on the board almost a decade ago when my predecessor, Billy Ocasio, and Jose envisioned the wellness center as the centerpiece of a campus and what would even be a wellness district. now the hospital as we know is a critical element to all of this

56:40 it's a place where our community can go for health care services when they're sick or not feeling well or experiencing a physical or an emotional issue but in addition to that our mission and their vision was and is to provide a place that focuses on the prevention of disease and illness. We dreamed of a place where the community can gather and focus on healthy habits, fitness, and services that promote wellness and well-being. And today that dream

57:16 is a reality. And now we welcome the community to this location. We welcome all to a deep-rooted sense of community, a shared culture, a love of life, pride, and well-being. So welcome to Hummel Park Health's first wellness center. And please grant me the honor of saying and

57:53 welcoming you to Hori Kwa. And with that, Jose, we'd like to bring up Kevin Khmut. Please, can you come forward? If you remember, thank you, Ray. If you remember, you know, sometimes I'm a little smart.

58:23 I'm not really that smart all the time. So I knew how challenges was going to do to do this construction. And then there was a board member who was a board member who was an architect, an engineer. here, and I said to myself, Kevin would like to be every day, every week, helping us to put these projects together, and he did.

58:54 So he was in every meeting, every week, actually tracking, asking questions, making recommendations, and I couldn't have never done it without you. Thank you, Kevin. Thank you for the education and support of the Wellness Center.

59:26 Your leadership, vision, and countless hours of support have played a vital role in bringing the Wellness Center to life. Thank you on behalf of the trustees and myself. Thank you for that. And don't go too far, because we need to have the 100 units of affordable housing. I got Jesse here, ultimately for an aide, who's going to make that happen.

1:00:00 right and you want to be and they're planning for me to cut it some of these gentlemen are wrapping up these photos thank you all for staying present with us through all of these amazing and

1:00:33 inspirational speeches uh we would like to invite you to two 3, 1, 2, 3.

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