Friends and Colleagues,

The past few weeks have been challenging to be sure. The new federal public health priorities, attacks on DEI and our work to diminish structural racism and inequality, the endless sowing of doubt about the effectiveness and importance of vaccines, and the focus on erasing trans folks from our country by denying gender-affirming care to adolescents and removing the T from LGBTQ+ are exhausting everyone here at PHIMC and I’m sure many of you, as well. 

These moments also galvanize us as a staff and as members of many intersected communities to speak out and fight back in many ways. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed critical HIV prevention information from its website, PHIMC made archived pages available in its Resource Hub. We are also tracking and educating partners on the Executive Orders limiting care for trans youth and providing resources to families looking for support. Finally, as a proud member of the National Network of Public Health Institutes, I am collaborating with Institutes across the nation to understand and mitigate the impact of public health policy changes.

In January, we hosted our annual Youth Leadership Summit for LGBTQ+ young people and their allies in Bloomington, Illinois, which you can read more about as you scroll down, and we expanded our team for the Next Generation Wellness Network. For Black History Month, we have been honored to shine the spotlight on some of our community partners on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. And this month, we are adding vibrant Illinois organizations to a statewide initiative for Transgender and Gender Diverse Wellness and Equity.

As the federal funding and policy landscape continues to evolve, PHIMC hopes to work in partnership with all of you to ensure sound and evidence-based public health policies are implemented across the state. 

The work we do together requires every one of us, so please take good care of yourselves and join us in our work to make the world a better and kinder place.

If you have questions or feedback on anything you see below, please contact info@phimc.org and someone on our team will respond. Thank you for your commitment to Illinois communities.

Sincerely,

Karen A. Reitan

President and Chief Executive Officer

PHIMC now calls our work on youth substance use prevention and harm reduction the Next Generation Wellness Network (NGWN). This name captures the essence of the support we provide by connecting with community organizations that serve young people. It builds on the foundational work done through the Regional Substance Use Prevention Integration Centers (RSUPIC) grant. Naming this work the Next Generation Wellness Network makes clear our value of centering people with lived experience and leaves room for it to evolve in the way our communities most need.

Alongside our RSUPIC peers across the state, we are building a network of young people, youth providers, and advocates to support Chicago youth in developing healthy relationships with substances. PHIMC has collaborated for years with direct service partners using a harm reduction framework to incorporate a range of strategies. Through the NGWN, we are able to support community partners by integrating SAMHSA'S Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) strategies within their agencies.

If you would like to be involved or want more information on becoming a Community Advisory Board member, gaining full access to our curriculum on the Substance Prevention and Awareness Resource Kit (SPARK) Portal, or simply want to know more about the program, please reach out to james.lones@phimc.org.

In March, PHIMC hosts the 2025 Illinois Reentry Conference: Where Collaboration, Education, and Innovation Leads to Equity in Health Justice. The conference will be held in a hybrid format, both online and in Chicago at UIC Student Center West.

We have reached capacity and registration is now closed. We look forward to seeing all who registered!

Sponsorship opportunities are still available.

For more information on our Community Reentry Project or to sign up to learn when registration opens for next year's conference, please visit our website or contact reentry@phimc.org.

David Bentlin, Suzanne Hutton, and Elizabeth Fox-Anvick with Prairie Pride Coalition

Haleigh Hoffman, Keynote Speaker and Alliance Youth Advisory Board Member

Julio Flores and Illinois State Representative Sharon Chung

On Saturday, January 25, 2025, the Alliance hosted our annual Youth Leadership Summit at Bloomington High School in Bloomington, Illinois, and it was a total hit! Over 75 incredible young leaders, Genders & Sexualities Alliance (GSA) sponsors, community partners, and supportive parents gathered to dive into GSA support, prepare for the Day of (No) Silence, and discuss the current political landscape. It was an exciting opportunity for youth leaders and GSA advisors from all over the state to connect, network, learn, and sharpen their leadership skills—all while working toward creating safer schools for LGBTQ+ students. 

Haleigh Hoffman, Youth Leadership Summit keynote speaker and Youth Advisory Board member, shared some powerful words on the importance of leadership development for LGBTQ+ youth: “I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to be on the advisory board. This opportunity has given me the ability to advocate for LGBTQ+ students throughout Illinois. Furthermore, it has given me a safe place to be myself and interact with others that have similar identities.” 



A huge thank you to Bloomington High School, Prairie Pride, and the Illinois Eagle for all their support in making this amazing event happen. And thank you to all the organizations who set up tables—your presence helped our youth make valuable connections and discover essential resources!

The Illinois Eagle published two articles by Caleb Sneeden about the Summit, on January 17 and February 3, 2025.

PHIMC both curates and creates resources related to health equity and access. On our website, you can find resource hubs to support transgender and gender-diverse wellness and equity, routine HIV screening, affirming care, LGBTQ+ youth, and young people working to develop healthy relationships with substances.

Please join us in welcoming the newest members of the PHIMC team, Laney Willey, Program Coordinator, and Tevin Giles, Outreach Prevention Specialist, both supporting our Next Generation Wellness Network. When asked why they chose PHIMC, here is what they said:

Please visit our website to learn more.

2025 Illinois Reentry Conference

Thursday, March 13, 2025

10:00 am - 4:30 pm, Hybrid

PHIMC’s Community Reentry Project hosts its annual Illinois Reentry Conference: Where Collaboration, Education, and Innovation Leads to Equity in Health Justice. This conference brings together people who are justice-impacted, their families, advocates, and professionals from medical and non-medical community-based and healthcare settings for a day of honest dialogue to transform how we advocate for and work with people who are justice-impacted. 

We have reached capacity, and registration is now closed. We look forward to seeing all who registered!

School Health Access Collaborative (SHAC) Meeting

Thursday, March 20, 2025

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

In-Person. Location will be posted here when it is available.

Co-convened by PHIMC and Healthy Schools Campaign, Chicago’s School Health Access Collaborative (SHAC) brings together education and health stakeholders to identify ways to enhance student access to comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable healthcare, improve the health service delivery model for Chicago students, and elevate equity and well-being. 

New participants are always welcome. If you or your organization is interested in participating in this SHAC Program Meeting, please contact Liz Wilson.

Off the Grid: Action Camp Fundraiser

Saturday, April 19, 2025

4:30 - 6:00 pm

Sidetrack (21+), 3349 North Halsted, Chicago

Join us for our second annual Action Camp Fundraiser: Off the Grid on Saturday, April 19 at Sidetrack in Chicago.

Learn more and buy tickets here.

For a full list of PHIMC events and opportunities,

please click the button below. 

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Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago (PHIMC) advances health justice and strengthens public health through innovation and partnerships that align people, strategies, and resources.