Programs & Activities

Advocacy – Crossroads Coalition engages in advocacy efforts around a variety of health issues. A primary focus of the organization’s advocacy work has been addressing the issues of the uninsured and underinsured. The organization is also instrumental in developing cultural sensitization to the issues of health disparities from the African American and Hispanic perspectives to the larger health care delivery “safety net” system and to community members.   The advocacy efforts have impacted legislative policy and program, and drawn attention to the health needs in South Suburban Cook County and beyond.

• Access to Healthcare: Crossroads Coalition, St. James Hospital, and the Southland Ministerial Health Network have collaborated to address the lack of access to healthcare for minority populations.  The coalition has held meetings and forums to advocate for a regional approach to health care delivery.
  
  
• Infant Mortality – Crossroads Coalition has organized community forums to advocate for increased funding for immunization programs in Cook County.
  
  
• KidsCare – Crossroads Coalition was on the forefront of efforts advocating for KidsCare.  Crossroads Coalition held community forums and engaged in extensive advocacy work.
  
  
• Food Deserts – Crossroads Coalition participated in the "Place Matters Initiative" of the Health Policy Institute of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (in collaboration with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation). A major focus of the initiative is the availability of affordable healthy foods in South Suburban Cook County.  In response to this issue, participants in the initiative are working to get additional grocery stores in the area.
  
  
• Breast Cancer - Crossroads Coalition worked with Cook County Commissioner Sims and the Women's Commission on Health to address limited funding for mammograms and the lack of accessible services for women diagnosed with breast cancer. Crossroads is also currently involved in health equity and justice issues such as the Breast Cancer Summit which is addressing the access issues for women who were formerly receiving services from the County Health Services.

Health Literacy – Crossroads Coalition provides health literacy workshops tailored to the needs of low-income, non-whites, who are disproportionately more likely to have low health literacy. These health literacy workshops provide individuals with the knowledge and skills to understand health risks, engage in healthy lifestyle practices, understand health information, know how to seek medical care, and use preventive measures such as screenings. Through workshops, forums, and screenings, Crossroads Coalition is working to improve the health literacy of individuals related to various chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

Chronic Disease Self Management – Crossroads Coalitions in partnership with faith communities offer skill-building workshops to help individuals with a chronic condition learn to manage their condition and their overall health. The workshop consists of 6 weekly sessions, each one 2 ½ hours long.   The weekly sessions cover:

• How to deal with problems such as frustration, fatigue, pain and isolation.
• Exercises for maintaining and improving strength, flexibility, & endurance.
• Use of medications.
• Communicating effectively with family, friends, and health professionals.
• Nutrition.
• Evaluating new treatments.

Certified Chronic Disease Self Management Peer Leaders serve as the workshop facilitators.

Access to Health Insurance - Members of Crossroads Coalition and the Illinois Insurance Agent and Broker Health Exchange Stakeholder Working Group are working to improve access to healthcare coverage and services for all Illinoisans, with particular focus on access through the Illinois Health Benefit Exchange. This effort seeks to decrease impediments to access to healthcare; link hard-to-reach populations to vital information and resources regarding qualified health insurance plans; establish effective business community and civic collaborations; and ultimately develop benchmarks to measure performance and create accountability.

Pandemic Influenza Preparedness - Opening Doors/Apriendo pandemic influenza outreach program promotes and encourages influenza prevention among at-risk minority populations in South Suburban Cook County communities through effective community and faith-based collaborations. The program:

• Builds the capacity of faith-based communities to promote influenza prevention
• Provides influenza information workshops to vulnerable and hard to reach populations
• Disseminates influenza prevention materials
• Provides vaccinations throughout various faith and community locations.

Health Seminars - As an active leader in addressing health care disparities, Crossroads Coalition regularly coordinates a wide variety of community health activities such as trainings, forums, workshops, seminars, and screenings for populations and genders, especially disadvantaged African Americans and Hispanics. 

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