Our Mission
The mission of the Office of Community Health Equity and Engagement, is to enable and support Rush University Medical Center in fulfilling its commitment to improve the quality of life within Rush’s diverse neighboring communities through initiatives and partnerships.
These are some of the ways we achieve this mission:
- Assessing the health needs of our community and developing strategies to address these needs
- Evaluating the effectiveness of Rush programs in meeting the needs of our community
- Reporting and communicating Rush's community engagement efforts to our internal and external communities
- Developing and strengthening effective community partnerships
- Coordinating community-based experiences for Rush University students to enhance their ability to care for diverse populations
- Serving students and families by providing quality, accessible health care within Rush's School-Based Health Centers and the Adolescent Family Center
Community Health Equity and Engagement FY21 Impact Report
The Office of Community Health Equity and Engagement (CHEE) at Rush University Medical Center helps Rush fulfill its commitment to improving the quality of life for people in its diverse neighboring communities. Our team creates a wide range of initiatives and builds partnerships for assessing and addressing our communities’ health needs.
For decades, under-resourced communities, like some of the West Side neighborhoods that lie between Rush University Medical Center and Rush Oak Park Hospital, have coped with systemic racism, poverty and lack of access to quality education and family-supporting jobs. Inequities like these give rise to illnesses that shorten lives, including diabetes, asthma, heart disease and depression — and as we have recently seen in the starkest of terms, underlying conditions that are caused and exacerbated by health disparities make people more vulnerable to illnesses like COVID-19.
We strive to help everyone attain equal access to the building blocks of good health: safe housing, quality education, family-supporting jobs, reliable transportation, healthy food and other essentials. Equal access gives rise to health equity, where everyone has a fair opportunity to attain their full health potential and no one is prevented from achieving it. In the pages that follow, you’ll see snapshots of some of CHEE’s programs and their impact on community health and economic vitality in fiscal year 2021.
Rukiya Curvey Johnson
Vice President, Community Health Equity
Meet the Team
Rukiya Curvey Johnson, MBA
Vice President
Community Health Equity
rukiya_curveyjohnson@rush.edu
Julia Bassett
System Manager of Health and Community Benefits
julia_s_bassett@rush.edu
Natalia Gallegos
Director of Engagement and Impact
Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH)
natalia_a_gallegos@rush.edu
Heather Hampton, EdD
Director, K12 Education and Pathways
heather_g_hampton@rush.edu
Sally Lemke
Director, Community Health Clinics
sally_lemke@rush.edu
Thomas Molina
Director, Financial Operations
thomas_molina@rush.edu
Anita C. Robinson
Administrative Manager
anita_c_robinson@rush.edu
Nathalie Rosado Ortiz
System Manager, Anchor Mission & Community Engagement
nathalie_rosado@rush.edu
Traci Simmons, DrPH(c), MPH, CPH, CHES
Director, Community Health and Engagement
traci_e_simmons@rush.edu
