Greater Family Health celebrated the opening of its 10th Health Center on May 19, 2022, with dozens of Board members and professionals of Northwest Community Hospital and Foundation, elected officials, donors and staff members attending.
Led by President/CEO Bob Tanner, the celebration was a festive event, including a Ribbon Cutting, several comments, delicious food and treats, and recognition of the generosity of John and Rita Canning and Northwest Community Hospital Foundation.
Bob Tanner welcomed guests, introduced them to Greater Family Health and its regional scope and leadership as a Federally Qualified Health Center, noting the primary care services offered at the Palatine location and the clinical excellence of the care offered by the organization. He also acknowledged the long-standing dedication of founder Donna Anderson, now affectionately known as ‘Momma Donna’, and reviewed her decades of leadership and dedication to Greater Family Health.
Other speakers included Greater Family Health Board Chair Jose Garcia, Board Member and Commission of Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Metropolitan Chicago Eira Corral-Sepùlveda, President/CEO of Northwest Community Healthcare Stephen Scogna, and State Senator Ann Gillespie.
Ribbon cutters include philanthropists John and Rita Canning, Stephen Scogna, Northwest Community Hospital Foundation Chair Dianne Hill, Jose Garcia, Greater Family Health Board Chair-Elect Debbie Everett, and Bob Tanner.
Stephen Scogna spoke to the long-standing and valuable partnership of Greater Family Health and Northwest Community Hospital, noting the positive impact on the health of local communities as a result of the collaboration. He specifically noted the innovative model of prenatal and obstetrics care that was developed in 2016 to address an unmet need for under-resourced women. Greater Family Health, in conjunction with Northwest Community Healthcare and an initial $1 million grant from John and Rita Canning, created a way to bring physicians and obstetrics care to Greater Family Health’s Wheeling location, and to follow that care through to delivery at NCH. The Cannings’ generosity was followed by a second $1 million grant to continue the success of the program at the Wheeling location, and to expand it to Greater Family Health’s location in Palatine. Northwest Community Hospital Foundation also made a grant of $1 million to help construct and equip the Palatine location.
“We are proud to support Northwest Community Healthcare’s involvement in improving the lives of women and children in our community and their partnership with Greater Family Health. Sadly, many of these women didn’t have access to the care they needed but now they do and children have a better start to life because of it,” said Rita Canning.
Stephen Scogna agreed, “Through coordination and philanthropy, we have come together to bring the best of what each partner can offer and the result is high-quality, dignified care that every family in our community deserves.”
A wonderful and emotional unveiling of a plaque acknowledging and honoring the generosity of the Cannings was yet another highlight.
Bob Tanner concluded the celebration with an impassioned acknowledgment of the many skills, talents and dedication of the hundreds of Greater Family Health employees, all of which substantially contribute to the organization’s many awards, successes and accomplishments.
“Our valuable employees are the lifeblood of Greater Family Health. It is due only to their exceptional efforts that this new Health Center joins the many substantial, positive impacts Greater Family Health has on the almost 60,000 patients it cares for annually’ Tanner stated.
