Live Healthy Chicago
Program Overview
Live Healthy Chicago is a collaborative health equity initiative launched in response to hypertension disparities, aimed at supporting West and South Side communities disproportionately impacted by hypertension and heart disease. Coordinated by West Side United in partnership with the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation and others, the program was designed to offer rapid-response, community-centered public health interventions, with a long-term focus on building healthier, more resilient neighborhoods.
The program addresses both immediate needs, such as food insecurity and social isolation, and structural health inequities, including access to healthcare, mental health support, and chronic disease prevention. Live Healthy Chicago emphasizes partnership with community-based organizations (CBOs) to deliver these services in a trusted, culturally relevant way.
Key Partners and Impacts
Key partners in Live Healthy Chicago include:
West Side United, which serves as a backbone organization helping coordinate funding, data, and operations.
Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation, co-leader of the initiative, anchoring South Side engagement.
Local CBOs, including food pantries, mental health organizations, and wellness service providers.
Philanthropic supporters, who provided initial COVID-response funding, enabling emergency service delivery and long-term planning.
Major impacts of the initiative include:
Over 60 community organizations funded, expanding their capacity to deliver wellness services, conduct outreach, and meet basic needs during the pandemic.
Food, wellness, and social supports delivered to thousands of residents through coordinated programming.
Creation of a sustainable infrastructure for continued investment in health equity beyond the pandemic’s peak.
Live Healthy Chicago also embedded a data-driven approach, tracking program impact and community needs in real time to inform strategy, funding decisions, and service adjustments.
Long-Term Vision
The long-term vision of Live Healthy Chicago is to build a permanent, community-anchored public health system that proactively addresses health disparities in Chicago’s Black and Brown neighborhoods. This includes:
Institutionalizing partnerships between healthcare, community organizations, and government to sustain programs launched during COVID.
Investing in upstream health factors, such as food access, mental health, housing, and community safety.
Creating a nimble, responsive public health infrastructure that centers community voice and builds trust in health systems.
Ultimately, Live Healthy Chicago seeks to reimagine what public health looks like by ensuring the communities hit hardest by health inequities are not just beneficiaries, but leaders in designing and delivering solutions. The model it builds today is intended to be a foundation for equity and resilience well into the future.
