Since opening in 2025, the center has helped address longstanding barriers to healthcare access by bringing primary, specialty and preventive care services directly into the Bronzeville community, reducing the need for residents to travel outside the neighborhood for many healthcare needs. In its first year, the center exceeded patient volume projections, accounting for almost 83,000 completed patient appointments and creating more than 110 new jobs in the community.

“The success of the Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center has exceeded even our most optimistic expectations,” said Kimbra Bell, MD, medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center. “In just one year, we have welcomed tens of thousands of patients, expanded access to specialty care and built meaningful partnerships throughout the community. This milestone reflects more than numbers. It reflects lives touched, healthier outcomes and a shared commitment to ensuring that residents of Bronzeville and surrounding neighborhoods can receive the highest quality care without leaving their community. We are honored to be part of that journey.”

Clinical and community offerings at the Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center include:

• Primary and specialty care
• Immediate care
• Cancer center with chemotherapy and infusion services
• Imaging and diagnostic services (MRI, CT, ultrasound, X-ray, DEXA and mammography)
• Mental health services
• Pediatrics
• Cardiology
• Women’s Health
• Dermatology
• Physical Therapy
• Pulmonology
• Gastroenterology
• Ophthalmology
• Multipurpose and event spaces for community gatherings and educational workshops
• A teaching kitchen and room for fitness classes

Local Bronzeville resident and Northwestern Medicine patient Lisa Pope has enjoyed the convenience of living several blocks from the facility. “Having my trusted physician so close to my home has been wonderful,” said Pope. “While I was willing to travel long distances to receive care, knowing I no longer have to rearrange my entire day for an appointment has made a tremendous difference. The facility is beautiful, welcoming and convenient, and it has become a valuable asset to our community.”

During its first year, the Bronzeville Community Center hosted more than 30 programs attended by more than 900 participants, including sickle cell initiative blood drives, food as medicine and healthy cooking classes, yoga and diabetes prevention courses. In addition, it offered four local Phillips High School students (who had an interest in a pathway into healthcare) paid summer internships, where they learned how to take blood pressure readings, see how injections are given and reviewed how to read vital signs.

“Access to quality health care and healthy living resources should never depend on how far someone can travel,” said 4^th Ward Alderman Lamont Robinson. “Thanks to Northwestern Medicine’s investment in Bronzeville, residents can now receive care, wellness support and access to nutritious food right in their own community. The positive impact has been evident in its first year, and I am excited to see how this resource continues to strengthen the health and well-being of our neighborhood.”

To learn more about the Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center, including community impact, community programming and the full floor-by-floor facility plan, please go to bronzeville.nm.org.

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CHICAGO, IL – June 16, 2026 – Through their foundation, Schreiber Philanthropy, Chicago philanthropists John and Kathy Schreiber are deepening their commitment to enhancing access to high-quality health care with a $35 million gift to Northwestern Medicine to launch an innovative community health institute. The new John and Kathy Schreiber Community Health Institute (SCHI) will partner with community leaders, nonprofit organizations, and community-based providers to build stronger, healthier communities through direct care for under-insured patients, increased care coordination and navigation, and innovative workforce strategies to improve the delivery of culturally-competent care.

This latest gift builds on a more than 30-year legacy of philanthropy from the Schreiber family, dating back to 1994, and brings their total support for Northwestern Medicine to nearly $50 million.

“This transformational gift from Schreiber Philanthropy will strengthen the Chicago area healthcare ecosystem, benefitting not only Northwestern Medicine patients, but also those living across Chicago and the surrounding communities,” said Howard Chrisman, MD, president and chief executive officer, Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. “We are proud of our decades long commitment to helping build stronger, healthier communities, and this gift will allow us to continue our mission to provide better overall access to healthcare and address critical healthcare needs for local communities across the region.”

The institute combines Northwestern Medicine’s clinical expertise and resources with community partners to reduce gaps in access to care, meet social-related health needs, grow the community health workforce and improve community trust and empowerment.  Through this gift, the institute will work to ensure that everyone can attain their highest level of health by reducing barriers to care.

“Every person, regardless of where they live, should have access to high-quality healthcare,” said Kathy Schreiber, Co-Founder of Schreiber Philanthropy. “This Community Health Institute will strengthen the healthcare ecosystem in Chicagoland by addressing health disparities, expanding care access at two Transitional Care Clinics in Chicago and Lake County, empowering patients in historically under-served communities, and enhancing access to care navigation and supports. This investment is a key part of Schreiber Philanthropy’s broader strategy to strengthen and fortify Chicago’s healthcare ecosystem, and we are hopeful that – with Northwestern Medicine’s leadership – the Community Health Institute will be a model for how philanthropy can catalyze the reimagination of systems to better serve people and communities.”

Through the Schreiber Community Health Institute, Northwestern Medicine will aim to strengthen the care continuum by:

• Expanding access to Northwestern Medicine Transitional Care Clinics for patients without adequate insurance who have complex medical needs, as well as expanding services offered, including more support for addiction and substance use disorders
• Providing increased training and support to federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and free clinics
• Creating a Care Navigation Hub that will connect patients who are underinsured and do not have a medical home to FQHCs and resources from community collaborators
• Leveraging Northwestern Medicine expertise to provide strategic and operational support for hospital partners, FQHCs and community collaborators so they can elevate and expand services for their patients and community members
• Operating with data-driven insights to ensure patients are getting the care they need when they need it

Up to 80% of an individual’s health is determined by factors in the community, not the health care setting, yet social needs and obstacles to care are prevalent in neighborhoods across Chicagoland. If left unchecked, health inequities will fundamentally change the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of healthcare for all. This investment will drive meaningful change and build stronger, healthier communities now and for generations to come.

For more information about the strategic goals of the John and Kathy Schreiber Community Health Institute, please visit www.nm.org/community.

For more information about Schreiber Philanthropy, please visit Schreiber Philanthropy.

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CHICAGO – Bronzeville area residents now have the opportunity to receive the highest quality of care closer to home with the opening of the Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center, now open for patient care. The new 120,000-square-foot outpatient center at 4822 South Cottage Grove Avenue offers more than 14 specialties, including immediate and primary care, oncology care and infusion services, pediatrics, cardiology, women’s health, dermatology and mental health services. The center also includes a 7,500 square foot community space and 3,000 square feet for local retail, as well as onsite patient parking at no cost.

​“Increasing access to world-class health care in Bronzeville will make a generational impact on the health and wellness of this community,” says Kimbra Bell, MD, FACP, medical director at the Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center. “We are committed to help build stronger, healthier communities. For over 20 years, we have collaborated with local organizations in Bronzeville and surrounding neighborhoods that share our vision to make the center a reality. We are so excited to welcome patients and community members to our new outpatient center.” 

 The center is expected to serve more than 50,000 patients and family members from Bronzeville and nearby communities every year and is welcoming a workforce of more than 110 new employees. 

The Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center clinical and community offerings include:

• Primary and specialty care 
• Immediate care 
• Cancer center with chemotherapy and infusion services
• Imaging and diagnostic services (MRI, CT, ultrasound, X-ray, DEXA and mammography)
• Mental health services 
• Pediatrics
• Cardiology
• Women’s Health
• Dermatology
• Physical Therapy
• Pulmonology
• Gastroenterology
• Ophthalmology
• Multipurpose and event spaces for community gatherings and educational workshops 
• A teaching kitchen and room for fitness classes

 To learn more about the Northwestern Medicine Bronzeville Outpatient Center, including community impact, project updates and the full floor-by-floor facility plan, please go to bronzeville.nm.org.