The construction of the Sankofa Wellness Center, a pivotal part of the Sankofa Wellness Village in West Garfield Park on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, US, has officially begun.  

This initiative is a collaborative effort involving local residents, healthcare institutions, non-profits, faith-based organisations, and other stakeholders in the community. 

Sankofa Wellness Village comprises four main elements: the Wellness Center itself, the MAAFA Center for Arts and Activism (the MAC), the 'K' Entrepreneurship Development Hub, and the Community Grocer Initiative.  

A groundbreaking ceremony celebrated the latest construction milestone, attended by officials and representatives from key partners such as Erie Family Health Centers and Rush University System for Health, along with the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. 

Sankofa Wellness Center is being established to enhance health outcomes for residents of Garfield Park and bridge a significant life expectancy gap.  

Local community members will lead efforts to address the factors contributing to this disparity, including health and wellness, quality of life, economic opportunities, resource scarcity, and community violence. 

Projected to be completed by the end of 2025, the facility will provide comprehensive healthcare services to the Garfield Park Community.  

These services will include primary medical care, behavioural, treatment for substance use disorders, reproductive, dental health services, health education, and social drivers of health resource navigation.  

Erie Family Health Centers will support these services, making them accessible to all individuals, regardless of insurance or immigration status. 

In addition to health services, the centre will offer mental health services and training, health promotion and disease prevention programmes, and workforce development, supported by Rush University System for Health.  

The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago will back fitness services, sports programming, and childcare facilities. 

Rush University System for Health and Rush University Medical Center president and CEO Dr Omar Lateef said: “This unique collaboration of community residents, organisations and health care providers gets to a core, shared belief that everyone should have a chance to be healthy — and we do that by increasing access to care, creating jobs, providing preventative and mental health services, and so much more. 

“That’s what the village is all about — creating better health for the entire community.” 

Furthermore, the centre will house a café, terrace space, Credit Union, community education and multipurpose room.