Building Relationships-Generationally Effective Systems, or, BRIDGES, funded by the Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation, is a collaborative effort by Rush, Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI), West Side home visiting and doula agencies and our infant and early childhood mental health partners to help families heal from trauma and build resilience. BRIDGES seeks to help families heal from trauma and build resilience by:
- Linking families to services that build supportive relationships
- Seeking and implementing interventions that help families heal
- Connecting families to support for social needs
- Addressing and removing barriers to care
Meet the Team
Giselle Doyle
Principal Investigator
Gina Lowell, MD
Principal Investigator
Ellen Schumer
Principal Investigator
Avelina Padin, PhD
Project Director
Brenda Huber, PhD
Leadership Team Member
Vikki Rompala, MSW
Leadership Team Member
Madeleine Shalowitz, MD
Leadership Team Member
Emily Wolodiger, PhD
Leadership Team Member
Karen Reyes
Project Manager
Emily Cole
Leadership Team Member
Talibah Moore
Leadership Team Member
Parent leaders are an essential part of our BRIDGES team. Our COFI-trained parents participate in every aspect of the BRIDGES system of care, from system design to delivering some of our peer-to-peer services.
Michelle Morton
Delia Perez
Rosalia Salgado
Stacey Simon
Resources for Families and Caregivers
Rush Building Early Connections Center
- Populations served: Parents/caregivers, families and children ages 0-8
- Services provided: Parent coaching, parenting groups, developmental screening, brief behavioral interventions for children
- Contact information: (312) 942-7100
Center for Children & Families
Populations served: Parents/caregivers, families, children ages 0-8
Services provided: Pediatric mental health services for children ages 0-5, developmental screening/assessment for children ages 0-8, occupational and speech therapy
Contact information: (312) 792-0508 (English) | (312) 932-6446 (Español)
Rush Women’s Behavioral & Mental Health
- Populations served: Pregnant and postpartum adults, sexual violence survivors
- Services provided: Individual therapy
- Contact information: (312) 942-8258
- Populations served: North Lawndale, East/ West Garfield Park and Near West side residents
- Services provided: Individual and family therapy, all services are free
- Contact information: (773) 638-5703
Catholic Charities Transforming Lives Program
- Populations served: Cook County residents
- Services provided: Pregnant/postpartum services to individuals struggling with substance use, services are free
- Contact Information: (312) 391-9447
- English Flyer
- Spanish Flyer
- Populations served: West Side residents
- Services provided: Home-visiting and doula services; peer support groups
- Contact Information: (773) 722-7440
- Populations served: North Lawndale residents
- Services provided: Doula and early childhood home visiting services
- Contact Information: (773) 722-5057
- Populations served: Residents of Chicago and the western suburbs
- Services provided: Doula services, prenatal education, home visiting, parenting education
- Contact Information: (773) 252-3253
- Populations served: Expectant parents and children of various Chicago neighborhoods
- Services provided: Home-based services
- Contact Information: (773) 521-1196
Carole Robertson Center for Learning
- Populations served: Pregnant women and families with infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children who are residents of the Near West Side
- Services provided: Home-based services
- Contact Information: (773) 522-8400 (North Lawndale) | (773) 521-1600 (Little Village)
Catholic Charities, Arts of Living Institute
- Populations served: Chicago residents
- Services provided: Case management, home visits, psycho-educational groups, parent-child play groups, developmental screenings and referral services
- Contact Information: (312) 948-6003
- Populations served: Residents statewide
- Services provided: Home-visiting and doula services; early childhood education
- Contact Information: (312) 922-3863
- Populations served: Humboldt Park, East/ West Garfield Park, Lower West Side residents
- Services provided: Family services and early learning centers
- Contact Information: (773) 373-5055
Erikson Institute’s Fussy Baby Network
- Populations served: Parents/caregivers of infants
- Services provided: Free telephone consultation for parents/caregivers struggling with their infants’ crying, sleeping or feeding
- Contact information: (888) 431-2229
- Populations served: Chicago families with newborns
- Services provided: Free in-home nurse services
- Contact information: (312) 745-BABY (2229)
Check out the Building Early Connections (BEC) resource directory.
Call the Rush Social Work and Community Health Services Helpline at 1-800-757-0202.
Learn more about Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI), who strives to strengthen the power and voice of low-income and working families at all levels of civic life.
To learn more or to get involved in BRIDGES, reach out to us at BRIDGES@rush.edu.
Events and Trainings
COFI offers a regular series of workshops in Chicago for individuals and organizations that are interested in incorporating The COFI Way into their own social justice mission and efforts. The interactive and dynamic workshops, which follow the three-phase sequence of The COFI Way, are designed specifically for staff and leaders in community groups, schools, and agencies. Join the more than 800 community organizers, social service providers, school administrators, advocates, policymakers, and veteran parent leaders who have attended COFI Center for Action and Learning workshops to-date!
Learn more about each workshop.
Event Details
- For Organizations: See upcoming Phase 1, 2, and 3 workshops
- For Parents: Register for COFI's upcoming Parent Leadership Trainings
- Dates: May 1 and May 3, 2024
9:30 am - 4:00 pm - More information
- Register in advance here
Newsletters, Publications and Related Readings
- Infant Mortality in the United States: Provisional Data from the 2022 Period Linked Birth/Infant Death File
- Focusing on Black Maternal Health
- No decisions about us, without us: The Impact of Parent Leaders on Early Learning Collaborations
- Preventing Childhood Toxic Stress: Partnering With Families and Communities to Promote Relational Health
- Capturing the Ripple Effect: Developing a Theory of Change for Evaluating Parent Leadership Initiatives, Final Report Phase I
Our Partners
