Urban Sociology-Reflection-Analysis

"Mental Health programs have outstanding outcomes and are very cost-effective,” When we don’t provide the care we see people coming into contact with the criminal justice system. We see people injuring themselves and ending up in the emergency room, or children going to foster care because they may have a parent with a substance abuse issue.” Cuts to mental health services across the state could also impact state and local agencies. With fewer community mental health services or treatment beds, the state’s hospitals and jails could see more people struggling with a mental illness or a substance abuse issue.

My letter to Mayor Daley, states that if he would stand behind city dollars to divert funds into mental health, and other related health services, instead only then for sure he would go down in my book as a visionary who sees beyond political games. Now city residents can look up and feel like they are part of the city and not citizens who are segregated because of their language barriers and because they are not being heard by the mayor. They are only being heard when it is too late and are faced with criminal charges because of lack of treatment. Our society prefers to spend our tax dollars in our jail system versus spending our tax dollars in mental health programs. It is time to start moving in the right direction and support more funding for mental health.

Urban Sociology-NAMI

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Chicago is a group that helps families or indivuals with counseling of mental health and helps families find resources for the mentally ill. Their mission is to provide hope and improve the quality of life for those in the greater Chicago area whose lives are affected by serious mental illness by providing information & referrals, education, support, advocacy, and active community outreach.

I ususally fundraise to help the NAMI raise money to help families with mental health. Last year I helped raise over 2,000 dollars along with the Department of Psychiatry from UIC for their yearly walkathon. You can also join in walking, donating funds, volunteering, etc..

Urban Sociology-NPI Building

The picture on the right hand is The Neuropsychiatric Building 912 S. Wood, Chicago, is a facility that has a Psych facility that treats adults with mental illness. This is currently about a mile from Pilsen. Again, public transportation is needed. They have some Spanish speaking clinicians, but I can count them with one hand. Most of them speak very limited Spanish, which discourages Latinos from returning.

Urban Sociology-NAMI

Thresholds Southwest, is one of the few areas that is offering services in Spanish. In additon, NAMI, The National Alliance for Mentally Ill of Greater Chicago is now offering Spanish classes to inform Hispanics of Mental Illinois and locations of treatment.

Thresholds Southwest, 3108 W. 63rd St., is a branch of the larger Thresholds organization, Illinois' oldest and largest psychiatric rehabilitation center. In response to the growing number of Latinos in the neighborhoods around Thresholds Southwest, the branch established specialized programs for Spanish-speaking residents two years ago.

In addition, to providing family support, Thresholds' bilingual program offers services for people who have a primary diagnosis of mental illness.
Free membership is granted to them, with or without insurance.

Services include counseling, case management, housing consultation and social outings to museums and theatrical shows. The facility at Thresholds Southwest includes a spacious lounge area and a cafeteria where members eat free meals prepared by the kitchen staff.

Sited: http://employment.thresholds.org/newscontentold.asp?ItemID=240&
www.namigc.org: NAMI Site

Urban Sociology-Mental Health Centers

These are several sites that may not be too far from Pilsen Neighborhood. It may be available via CTA Train or Buses

Latinos Mental Health Centers
Name: University of IL at Chicago Location: 1747 W. Roosevelt Rd.
Phone: 312-996-7723
UIC Treatment specializes in Mental Health for Child and Adolescent

Contact Name: Sonia Sukenick, LCSW
Location: 100 W Monroe, Chicago, IL 60603
Phone:(312) 283-7865
Treatment: Psychotherapy Treatment for Adolescents, Adults, All Ages

Name: The Lake View Counseling Center
Location: 3225 N Sheffield Av, Chicago, IL 60657
Phone:(773) 932-6407
Treatment: Serving the Undeserved & Reaching the Hard to Reach

Name: Advocate Family Home Care Network Service Area
Serving: Glen Ellyn IL, Joliet IL, Chicago IL, Orland Park IL
Phone: (800) 216-1110
Treatment:
• Counseling Services
• Family Counseling for mental Health Individual,
• Psychotherapy
• ADD/ADHD testing and treatment
Location: Bridgeport Counseling Center,8 South Michigan Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60603
Phone:(312) 609-5300
They offer counseling & psychotherapy services for families, couples, individuals, teens & children.

Urban Sociology-Lack of Mental Health Centers in Pilsen

I did a search on Google for Mental Health in Pilsen and it gave me websites of a Wellness Center; Pilsen Little Village Community Mental Health Center, and the closest would be University of Illinois at Chicago on Taylor. Pilsen has no mental health center. Why is it that the poor are given the worst treatment?

We are not mindful of who does our construction work. Who works in the city restaurant’s, the majority are Latinos? Chicago Latino population is growing. Why not treat them like you do the middle class? Why are they ignored? You want them to pay your taxes. Work in your city, but you continue to treat them like second class citizens? I will provide a list of Mental Health Centers that will treat some of our Latino population in my next blog.

Urban Sociology-Lots for a Mental Health Center in Pilsen

I observed some vacant lots’ in Pilsen that can obviously be rehabbed and created into a Mental Health Center for Latinos and especially females. I envisioned a center for youth with a gym for the youth to play in with counseling for the youth. I envisioned a music room with music instructors for therapeutic music programs. A garden with nice plants, along with nice landscaping. Benches for the families to wait for their families. I think that Pilsen needs to have someone like Jane Jacobs’, in “Radical Legacy," who can be an advocate planner (Jacobs 2010). They can fight for the rights of the Pilsen community as Jane Jacobs’ discussed in her article, like, neighborhood crime, and environmental racism and underfunded schools, and health care.
The Pilsen community has several centers for families, like Gas Hill, and El Valor Guadalupe Reyes Children and Family Center that is a center that has services of Head Start, Early Head Start, After School Youth Enrichment and University Programs. What happen to mental health services?