Center to create Chicago healthcare jobs

Posted on August 6, 2014

A new neighborhood medical center that recently opened is creating Chicago healthcare jobs.

The Ashburn Medical Center will provide neighborhood-based Medicare-eligible residents with options for primary care and dental services.

The state-of-the-art center will employ 35 full-time positions upon opening and is committed to hiring local, neighborhood residents to serve the over 2,500 seniors in the area. The organization expects to add 100 employees by the end of 2014, and an additional 200 employees in 2015.

Oak Street Health plans to open two additional centers this summer, revitalizing buildings that had formerly been vacant – Avalon Park at 1715 East 95th Street on July 1 and Bronzeville at 4318 South State Street on August 26. Each new center creates 15 jobs initially with more care teams added as the number of patients increase.

As a result of the planned expansion, Oak Street Health expects to hire 100 additional employees this year – a majority of which are expected to come out of the communities Oak Street serves and among recent City College graduates.

“Our unique care model creates an excellent patient experience focused on building better patient-doctor relationships and delivering focused preventive care for seniors on Medicare,” said Griffin Myers, Oak Street Health’s Chief Medical Officer. “Oak Street patients see the difference; we have a 97% patient satisfaction rating following appointments. Our model takes into consideration all aspects of their care, from transportation needs, dental and social needs, access to affordable medications, to frequent and longer visits with their doctor and the integrated technology that enables all of it.”

The healthcare sector remains a critical component of Chicago’s economy, with over 18,000 jobs created since 2011, the most of any single industry in the city. From 2012-2013, 6,830 new heath care and social assistance jobs were created in Chicago across all skill levels – from medical technicians to surgeons.

“The health of our neighbors and the health of our neighborhood economies go hand in hand,” said Mayor Emanuel. “The ability for Chicago’s seniors to access affordable healthcare in their neighborhoods is crucial to our efforts to improve the health and well-being of all Chicagoans and the fact that Oak Street is committed to hiring residents from the communities they serve, makes this a win-win for the City.”