PWC - October 2009 E-Newsletter

A Bright New Start for
Latino Youth High School

A Wellness Initiative:
Healthy Parents, Healthy
Families Seminar

Promoting Wellness during
a Tough Economy

Pilsen Wellness Center
Welcomes LUC Student

Advancing the Equitable Representation of Latinos
in State Government

As one of the largest providers of
community-based treatment services
within the Midwest, our untiring
commitment to providing quality
services has continued since our
modest beginnings.

Across our numerous program
offerings, you will find many skilled
and experienced individuals
dedicated to providing you
with only the highest-quality,
culturally-sensitive, and affordable
services available.

Contact us at any one of our nine sites, conveniently located
and in the neighborhood. We look forward to serving you.

Francisco Cisneros, Ph.D.
President & CEO

www.PilsenWellnessCenter.org

A Bright New Start for
Latino Youth High School

The new LYHS staff team has hit the ground running welcoming both new and former students alike for an exciting 2009-10 school year. Bright new staff additions and a new Principal, Mrs. Alicia Ellis will complement the LYHS Family. LYHS students are all a buzz with the changes as well as the new Physical Education Program intended to promote wellness by keepings students active
and fit.

Over the summer, LYHS amateur artists designed and painted a wall mural to decorate the student lounge. The mural depicts how many students experience their surroundings. The mural emphasizes the importance of helping each other move beyond the present despair that often weighs on them as members of a minority community.

On the horizon, LYHS will hold elections for its Student Council Representatives. The Student Council will serve as a forum for reps to voice concerns and offer input and suggestions to improve the LYHS academic experience.

To supplement LYHS educational services, the Pilsen Wellness Center will relocate the Teen

REACH and Illinois Steps AHEAD/GEAR-UP program offices to the high school and target LYHS students needing further tutoring assistance. Both programs, funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services, will provide the necessary educational supports to improve students’ academic outcomes.

Please contact Alicia Ellis to find out how you can support LYHS by donating your time, talent, and/or resources, at 773.648.2130 or by E-mail at aellis@pilsenmh.org.

We look forward to a great new school year!

A Wellness Initiative: Healthy Parents,
Healthy Families Seminar

The Pilsen Wellness Center’s Therapeutic Outpatient Youth Services (TOYS) Program in collaboration with the Confederation of Spanish American Families (CSAF) offered a parent education seminar to support Cicero families seeking to improve family relationships. The September 25, 2009 seminar held at the Morton High School Freshman Center located at 1801 South 55th Court in Cicero, Illinois, provided valuable tips on how to strengthen Latino parent relationships with their acculturated children.

The seminar focused on practical advice for parents and included role-playing exercises to practice relationship-building dialogue and activities.

Parents also learned how to identify harmful behavioral patterns as well as how to repair and support healthy family bonding.

For more information on future parental relationship seminars, please contact Kathryn Saclarides, PWC’s TOYS program supervisor, at 708.683.5500 or
by E-mail at ksaclarides@pilsenmh.org

Promoting Wellness
during a Tough Economy

The Pilsen Wellness Center’s Food Pantry Program offers assistance to struggling families trying to make ends meet in today’s recession economy. Every Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., the Wellness Pantry provides low-income residents with fresh fruits and vegetables as well as dry goods and canned products. The program, located at 2319 South Damen Avenue in Chicago, also offers gently used clothing to children and families in need with donations made by Pilsen Wellness Center employees and other community residents.

In 2005, the Wellness Pantry served 35 families monthly. With additional grants from the Chicago Food Depository, Jewel Food Stores, and United

Way, the Wellness Pantry now serves over 600 families and provides an essential food resource for over 2,380 local residents each month since 2008.

This increase reflects the Center’s collaborative outreach to area businesses that share our mutual concern to support struggling families. These vital partners include the Chicago Botanic Garden who donates organically-grown fruits and vegetables from June through October. Panera Bread, Jewel-Osco, Dominick’s, and the St. Vincent DePaul Society also generously contribute delicious breads and pastries for Wellness Pantry recipients.

For additional information regarding PWC’s Wellness Pantry hours and locations, please contact Maria Espejel, Division Director for Youth Services,
at 773.579.0832 or by E-mail at mespejel@pilsenmh.org.

Pilsen Wellness Center
Welcomes LUC Students

Loyola University Chicago students visited the Pilsen Wellness Center to discuss the agency’s industry-recognized involvement with issues involving culturally sensitive behavioral healthcare, immigration, gender, and low educational attainment. The university’s Department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs organized the event and connected students with current PWC human services practitioners. The September 25, 2009 visit offered LUC students a chance to consider careers serving economically disadvantaged individuals and families.

Nicole F. Smith, an LUC Graduate Assistant and principle organizer for the trip explained her reasons for choosing PWC given its broad array of program services and reputation for cultural competence. Interested in examining the aftereffects of Illinois state budget cuts, students appreciated PWC’s skill, tenacity, and resolve to remain a committed community advocate for increased access to quality mental health care, addictions treatment, and alternative secondary education.

Meeting with the LUC students, Pilsen Wellness Center CEO, Francisco Cisneros, Ph.D.,

summarized the agency’s approach to service with its motto, “Empowerment through Wellness.”
“Facilitating the path for individuals and families towards wellness strengthens the recovery process and makes empowerment possible. Empowered persons proactively seek solutions beyond the treatment period thus extending and increasing positive outcomes for families embracing wellness.” LUC Students continued their trip to the Pilsen community with visits to cultural museums, art studios, and authentic Mexican restaurants.

For additional information regarding agency tours and visits to any of Pilsen Wellness Center’s nine programming sites, please contact Ramiro Mosso, Community Relations Liaison, at 773.579.0832, extension 238.

Advancing the Equitable Representation
of Latinos in State Government

The Pilsen Wellness Center participated in the Illinois Association of Hispanic State Employees (IAHSE) 22nd Annual Training Conference titled “United Voices for the Advancement & Representation of Latinos” on September 25, 2009. IAHSE seeks to increase advancement opportunities for Latinos in state government. Mr. Eddy Borrayo, PWC’s Division Director for Substance Abuse Services and an expert on culturally competent addictions treatment, presented a workshop on “Behavioral Health & Social Issues,” introducing participants to the signs and symptoms of common behavioral health issues affecting Latinos.

Attended by over 200 Illinois state employees, the conference offered 10 seminars covering diverse topics such as stress management and worker

compassion fatigue to the state’s progress regarding Consent Decrees & Acts mandating culturally competent services for the Latino community.

Mr. Borrayo challenged his audience to proactively respond to the present challenges faced by Illinois Latinos and encouraged their continued efforts to advance representation on issues important to Latino-origin populations residing in Illinois.

Pilsen Wellness Center, Inc.’s management staff is often solicited by local, national and international organizations to present on conference topics that promote and enhance culturally competent discussion and research involving social and behavioral health issues for economically disadvantaged communities. For additional information regarding PWC’s participation in your conference event, please contact Ramiro Mosso, PWC’s Community Relations Liaison, at 773.579.0832, extension 238 or by E-mail at rmosso@pilsenmh.org.