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Unlike many developed countries, the United States does not offer free universal healthcare.
Instead, it provides a combination of private insurance and government-run options, with the Affordable Care Act aiming to provide health care to low-income citizens via various subsidized healthcare options.
Healthcare is a crucial human right, as a professional like a graduate of a family nurse practitioner program would tell you, but unfortunately, despite significant leaps forward over the past few years, it’s not always accessible to many who need it.
Below we have compiled a list of affordable or free healthcare options in Chicago, to help those who otherwise could not afford the healthcare they need.
CommunityHealth
CommunityHealth is a volunteer-based organization that provides primary and specialty care, medication, lab testing, mental health services and health education free of charge to low-income, uninsured, or underinsured adults in Chicago.
More recently CommunityHealth has grown to include a full-service pharmacy and dental clinic. Volunteers, donors and community partners work in collaboration to serve thousands of Chicagoans six days a week.
2611 W. Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
773-395-9900
Erie Family Health Centers
Erie Family Health Centers is a network of 13 regional health care centers spanning the west side of Chicago through to Waukegan. Erie Family Health Centers offer a wide range of services that focus on every stage of life including prenatal care, reproductive health, adult and senior health, children’s health, teen health, psychiatry, behavioral health, health programs, HIV/AIDS, PrEP and Hepatitis C care.
Erie Family Health Centers accept multiple insurance plans, but also have a Sliding Fee Scale discount program where the fee varies depending on your income.
(312) 666-3494 (schedule an appointment)
(847) 666-3494 (find suburban Chicago area locations)
Between Friends
Between Friends is an organization dedicated to preventing domestic violence and ending the cycle of abuse by equipping communities with the tools they need to feel safe and secure in their relationships.
Between Friends services include survivor services such as free counseling and court advocacy programs, prevention and education including teen dating violence prevention programs and education and training in school, hospital and other settings, direct crisis intervention services for individuals and families, and a free 24-hour crisis hotline for emergencies.
P.O. Box 608548, Chicago, IL, 60660 (mailing address)
(800) 603-4357 (24-hour hotline)
(773 274-5232 (general business line)
Heartland Alliance Health
Heartland Alliance Health has three clinics across the Chicago area that offer medical, dental, mental health, and substance use care. The network also delivers care across homeless shelters, transitional housing programs, encampments, and on the streets.
Heartland Alliance believes that income, education level, physical environments and social support play a pivotal role in a person’s overall health. By focusing on providing safe roofs for their patients as well as quality healthcare, they hope to achieve better patient outcomes.
Broadway Clinic – 4009 North Broadway, Chicago, Illinois 60613
773-275-2586
Englewood Clinic – 5501 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60621
773-275-2586
James West Clinic – 932 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607
(773) 747-5466
SGA Youth & Family Services
SGA Youth & Family Services offers free, comprehensive services for children and families in Chicago’s most challenged and underprivileged neighborhoods. Services include a focus on parenting, early childhood education, education support and workforce development.
SGA Youth and Family Services Cycle of Opportunity system is designed to help break the cycle of adversity and provide families with the opportunity to change their lives.
11 E. Adams, Suite 240, Chicago, Il 60604
(312) 663-0305
SGA Youth & Family Services offers children and family healthcare. Photo by CDC on Unsplash.
CDS Foundation Clinic
The CDS Foundation Clinic provides dental care to low-income residents of DuPage, Cook and Lake counties. Volunteer dentists, hygienists and assistants complete a range of dental services including oral health care through exams, prophylaxis, intraoral and panoramic X-rays, basic restorations and extractions. There are instances where volunteer oral surgeons are called upon for more extensive treatments.
The CDS Foundation Clinic offers both low-cost and no-cost services.
416 E. Roosevelt Rd., Suite 102, Wheaton, IL 60187
630-260-8530
Angel Harvey Family Health Center
The Angel Harvey Family Health Center provides healthcare services to medically underserved and vulnerable Chicagoans, which includes primary medical care, dentistry, optometry, child development and behavioral health services from a centralized location.
The Angel Harvey Family Health Center accepts most insurance but also offers a sliding fee scale for uninsured and underinsured individuals on low income.
3600 W Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 782-2800
Find a Health Center – HRSA.gov
If none of the above options are suitable, Find a Health Center is a tool that can help you locate HRSA-funded health centers across the United States.
The HRSA funds Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) that integrate access to pharmacy, mental health, substance abuse disorders and oral health services in areas where there are barriers that limit access to affordable health care services.