Work Underway On West Side’s Sankofa Wellness Center
WEST GARFIELD PARK — Work has begun to bring a wellness center to West Garfield Park as part of a larger development aimed at increasing life expectancy for residents and providing essential resources to combat generational disinvestment.
The Sankofa Wellness Center, 4305 W. Madison St., broke ground Sept. 16, with the 60,000-square-foot facility set to open to the public next year.
The Wellness Center intends to serve West Side residents with amenities that will include:
- Health care services, including primary medical care as well as reproductive, behavioral and dental health services.
- Substance abuse disorder treatment and health education programs.
- Health screenings.
- Mental health and disease prevention training programs.
- Workforce development programs supported by Rush University System for Health.
- Fitness services such as sports, group fitness programs, youth and teen programs and drop-in child care, supported by the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.
- Indoor gymnasium and walking track.
“The Sankofa Wellness Center aims to improve health outcomes for Garfield Park residents and close a life expectancy gap of 13 years between members of the community and those of the Loop, just 5 miles away,” a spokesperson for the development said in a statement. “By holistically addressing many of the factors that impact this disparity — health and wellness, lack of resources, quality of life, economic opportunity and community violence — the Wellness Center team will work to provide sustainable solutions led by community members.”
In addition to health and wellness amenities, the center will include a cafe, credit union, multipurpose community space and a terrace. West Side United, an organization dedicated to “eliminating the stark life expectancy gap experienced by residents in 10 Black and Brown neighborhoods on Chicago’s West Side,” will be headquartered in the Sankofa Wellness Village upon completion.
The center is the first part of the Sankofa Wellness Village, a development slated to bring resources and investments to the Madison and Pulaski commercial corridor. The $50 million Sankofa Wellness Village will include the wellness center, a center for arts and activism, an entrepreneurship development hub and a grocer initiative.
In January 2023, the Sankofa Wellness Village won the $10 million Chicago Prize by the Pritzker Traubert Foundation.
The Sankofa Wellness Center began construction in mid-September and is spearheaded by Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative, The Community Builders and MAAFA Redemption Project. Mayor Brandon Johnson also attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
West Garfield Park residents live to an average age of 69, compared to age 85 for people living in the Loop, according to a 2015 Virginia Commonwealth University report.
A 2021 city study showed the life expectancy gap is growing between Black and non-Black Chicagoans. Black people in Chicago live an estimated 9.2 fewer years than non-Black people as they struggle with higher death rates for diabetes-related issues, homicides, HIV and opioids, that report found.
Community organizers and West Side health providers long have worked to tackle the social factors that lead to worse health outcomes, like poor nutrition and lack of regular health care.
“Through the Sankofa Wellness Village, we are proud to advance our mission to build and sustain strong communities where all people can thrive,” said Kemena Brooks, development director for The Community Builders, a nationwide developer dedicated to affordable and mixed-income housing. “The start of construction expands opportunities for minority- and women-owned business enterprises, as well as local workers, who will help create this village. Today is a vital milestone as we realize the shared vision towards a healthier and more equitable future for the residents of West Garfield Park.”
