Pilsen Nonprofit Establishes Medical Supply Closet to Service Chicagoans
Figueroa Wu Family Foundation/Facebook
A flyer detailing the services within the medical access closet."
^ Disclaimer: Per my conversation with Jesse Rodriguez, the days and times listed on the flyer have been updated. As listed in the article, physical therapy and evaluations are now Wednesdays and Fridays."
In line with their mission to ensure community wellness, the Pilsen Social Health Initiative has launched a medical supply closet that caters to Pilsen residents needing help with mobility.
Situated on 1850 South Throop Street, the site of a former vacant church, the closet collects donations of various used medical equipment. Items include canes, walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, and more.
The organization oversees other social service programs including the Pilsen Food Pantry and The Clothes Closet, formed through an ‘anti-poverty’ lens meant to provide basic needs. Medical care became another growing need for the Latino community amidst the pandemic. Under the direction of Dr. Evelyn Figueroa, family physician and director of the aforementioned projects, she expanded her services by partnering with other nonprofits and community donors to provide free medical devices and equipment for those who lack access due to affordability.
Limited access to medical resources translates to the disproportionate impact healthy equity poses among Southwest side communities like Pilsen.
Figueroa’s medical career has spanned servicing patients in low-resource communities to meet improved health outcomes. It became a natural role for Figueroa to address the barriers for obtaining everyday medical supplies as part of basic healthcare.
Insurance status is one main barrier perpetuating health disparities long affecting Pilsen. A 2016 Rush University Medical Center study of Chicago’s Lower West Side -- which includes Pilsen -- found that 33 percent of the area’s majority Hispanic-Latino residents are uninsured. Coupled with another finding that over 25 percent of households live below poverty and over 15 percent are unemployed, Pilsen residents encounter financial stress especially when facing existing medical needs.
Language is another limitation feeding Pilsen’s health disparity, on an individual level. Jesse Rodriguez, a staff member for the supply closet, also serves as an informal translator to provide bilingual support for Spanish-speaking clients. According to Rodriguez, many of those Pilsen residents are reluctant to go to a clinic to seek medical help when there’s a communication gap between themselves and the healthcare providers speaking a dominant language. Care-seeking experiences thus become daunting and limit the delivery of quality healthcare when there’s a misunderstanding or miscommunication of health needs.
Residents have been receptive to the closet, according to Rodriguez. With many coronavirus-related outcomes that have hard hit the Pilsen community, from broad financial limitations to accessing particular services, residents appreciate the closet’s ardent community engagement in helping them reach their health goals during an unprecedented time.
Figueroa notes this collaboration as being part of advocating for health justice. According to Figueroa’s own nonprofit, the Figueroa Wu Family Foundation, empowerment and sustainability are other contributing values helping drive her work. As a vital health resource, the medical closet powers through an ongoing donation system where those requiring mobility assistance are always welcomed into this space stigma-free and shouldn’t feel deterred because of their social or financial status.
Volunteers for the closet are available weekly Monday through Friday between the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to coordinate drop-offs and pick-ups.
The medical closet also hosts on-site physical therapists providing free therapy and evaluations every Wednesday and Friday under the aforementioned hours of operation for those who can’t afford it. Clients can call to schedule a clinical session.
Rodriguez says residents hope the supply closet becomes sustainable by recycling and putting equipment to good use. With active partnership support, an initiative like Figueroa’s can be credited for making the world more accessible — and improving quality of life — beyond the immediate Pilsen service area.