I spoke to my friend yesterday and she told me about two healthy people who died within the last week.  I forgot the age of the young lady, but the young man who died was either 29 or 30 years old. Neither was overweight and there were no known health issues.  Although stress is a silent killer,

As a 30-something relatively healthy individual, this freaked me out.  I got my check-ups within the past few months and I would like to encourage you all to make appointments today!!!

I don’t know all of the resources available, but I can tell you about two places I’ve used personally.

Christian Community Health Center on 98th & Halsted offers pro-rated rates for services which means that the rate you pay for services is based on your income.  When I was was receiving unemployment, I only had to pay the $20 co-pay for all services received.

I have also received care from the South Chicago Health Center.  It is a city facility which means you may have two wait a couple hours. I received a full physical for FREE. Illinois Healthy Women offers a pink card for women which allows you to get physicals and family planning options.  And, you can walk in and grab condoms out of a big garbage for your protection.

Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP) at Mercy offers free mammograms, breast exams, pelvic exams, Pap tests and cancer treatment to uninsured and underinsured women.  Screening is available to all women—regardless of income level—and all women are welcome and encouraged to contact Mercy for an appointment at 312.567.2619.  Call Mercy or visit www.cancerscreening.illinois.gov for more information.

I don’t know what is available for men’s health, but I do know there are huge efforts to produce prostate cancer which has grown at alarming rates.  Because men tend to neglect their health more than women, programs have grown.  Visit Cook County Health System to find out which programs are available.

There are loads of HIV programs throughout the city, just call3-1-1 for information.

That’s all I have for now.  What other free and low-cost programs are available in the city??