News & Events

Meet the HAS staff responsible for enrolling individuals in health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Open enrollment is over, but our In-Person Counselors (IPCs) are still enrolling newly eligible individuals and helping enrollees understand their new benefits.  Meet the team here.

Participants in the Neighborhood Violence Prevention Program recently completed the Journey to My Better Self Career Empowerment Workshop. This program is designed to prepare youth on parole for an entry level position that will put them on the path of economic self-sufficiency. Eighty-seven percent of participants who complete the program receive a job, and 95 … [Read More…]

Thanks to the HAS Transitional Housing and Residence programs, to Bradburne, Briller, & Johnson, and to all the community members who helped prepare our new community garden at our first site cleanup day Saturday.  The site will soon feature vegetable and flower gardens, recreational space, and more!  In addition to fresh, quality food and neighborhood … [Read More…]

April is National Alcohol Awareness Month!  Please join us in observing the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence (NCADD’s) Alcohol-Free Weekend, which takes place on the first weekend of April (April 5-7, 2013).  During Alcohol-Free Weekend, NCADD extends an open invitation to all Americans to engage in three alcohol-free days to raise public awareness … [Read More…]

HAS’s Partner Abuse Intervention Program (PAIP) and one of our PAIP participants were recently profiled in Hoy newspaper.  Read the stories here: http://www.vivelohoy.com/noticias/8320764/a-morning-in-domestic-abuser-therapy  http://www.vivelohoy.com/noticias/8313629/the-slow-path-to-change-for-jimmy-lituma   

From the Governor’s Office: Governor Quinn and HHS Secretary Sebelius Announce Health Insurance Marketplace for Illinois State-Federal Partnership Created by the Affordable Care Act Will Deliver Quality Health Care to Hundreds of Thousands in Illinois by End of First Year CHICAGO – February 13, 2013. Governor Pat Quinn and U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) … [Read More…]

February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month. Resources are available on these websites: www.teendvmonth.org www.cdc.gov/features/datingviolence www.loveisrespect.org

The Youth Prevention Program’s work with Hedges Elementary School and the Peace and Education Coalition to prevent youth substance abuse was recently profiled in The Gate newspaper.  Program staff work with parents in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, helping them develop strategies for talking with their kids about drugs and alcohol and preventing their … [Read More…]

As you may know, May is Perinatal Mood Disorder Awareness month in the state of Illinois. In honor of this important month and the Mothers we serve, the Postpartum Depression Program at Healthcare Alternative Systems is gearing up for our Fifth Annual Treating Moms Well luncheon, on Friday, May 11th 2012. Every year, our program hosts an exciting fundraiser to generate … [Read More…]

The FY 2011 Annual Report is now available on our website. Please take a look at it here.

Pictures from the Postpartum Depression Program’s 2011 holiday party are now on Facebook. The PPD program held two events, one each for participants on the north and south sides of the city. The parties featured refreshments, games and prizes, and a visit from Santa.  PPD Program staff also provided presents (Christmas decorations and bath and … [Read More…]

Blog Home Anyone who has had a Perinatal Mood or Anxiety Disorder knows that the symptoms of these illnesses affect not only the person suffering from them, but also those nearest and dearest to the afflicted (including children, parents, and spouses). Many women who have experienced PPMD say that one of the greatest challenges of … [Read More…]

Blog Home If I had a dime for every postpartum woman whose worries, fears, and obsessions center primarily around whether she’s mothering “the right way” I would have enough money to buy a copy of this book  for each and every one of them. But it’s certainly not hard to figure our where women’s feelings … [Read More…]

Blog Home In my work as a program therapist in the Postpartum Depression program at HAS, and also in my former life as a Labor Support and Postpartum Doula, I have often heard mothers (with and without PPMD) say that the first weeks of life with a new baby are very much like having your … [Read More…]

Blog Home When a woman is pregnant, people tend to nurture her and look out for her well-being more than usual. While some women do not like the extra attention, many welcome the additional support with open arms. Yet, when baby arrives, all the nurturing attention gets shifted onto the new baby, and the new … [Read More…]

Many thanks to the Northern Trust Charitable Trust, which recently awarded HAS with a generous grant to provide childcare for participants in our postpartum depression and BASTA! domestic violence programs.  The lack of consistently reliable childcare is one of the major barriers preventing women from getting the help they need.  For more information about childcare … [Read More…]

Blog Home Did you know… that Postpartum Depression is the #1 pregnancy-related complication in the United States?  Approximately 1 out of every 5 women will experience a pregnancy-related mood or anxiety disorder during pregnancy or within the following year. Would you know what to say or do if a woman entered your office today, complaining … [Read More…]

Our Quarter Two (October-December) newsletter is now available here.  Hard copies and the electronic version are coming soon.

Blog Home If you read the news regularly, then you probably read the devastating news about Sonia Hermosillo, a mother in California who has been charged with murder for throwing her 7-month-old son from a parking garage. If you have your finger on the pulse of Postpartum Mental Illness in the news, then you know … [Read More…]

Health professionals including social workers and case managers; physicians and nurses; psychiatrists and counselors; and midwives and doulas are invited to learn more about Perinatal Mood Disorders, their risk factors, and effective treatment options at a perinatal mood disorders workshop conducted by HAS PPD staff. The workshop will take place November 3, 2011, from 9:00 … [Read More…]

Congratulations to Roberto Montanez, supervisor of the HAS/NEXA Medication Assisted Therapy program, on receiving the Judy Miller Scholarship Award from the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependance Association (IADDA).  The scholarship is in memory of Judy Miller’s achievements as a nurse and methadone treatment administrator and provides selected treatment professionals with continuing education in the field … [Read More…]

Our most recent newsletter is now available as a pdf.  Thanks to everyone from the Transitional Housing Program for helping out!  View the pdf  here, and look out for the electronic version, coming next week.

HAS is excited to co-sponsor a talk by Dr. Luis Zayas, Shanti K. Khinduka Distinguished Professor of Social Work / Professor of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Zayas will be discussing his recent book, Latinas Attempting Suicide, which explores the sociocultural and developmental processes that influence suicidal behavior among adolescent Latinas.   The … [Read More…]

Please see today’s North Lawndale News for coverage of the unveiling of “A Celebration of Family life,” youth-created public artwork on display at our Western Avenue site.  The article is available in English and Spanish. The Back of the Yards newspaper The Gate also published an interesting piece about the event.  It’s available here. Read … [Read More…]

Thanks to everyone who came out for the unveiling of “A Celebration of Family Life,” the new mosaic sculptures that will be on permanent display at out Western Avenue site.  Youth Prevention participants, together with Urban Gateways artist Nicole Beck, created the sculptures as a project designed to encourage self-expression and provide a positive alternative … [Read More…]

The blog Decoder, produced by the Partnership at DrugFree.org, offers the following suggestions for keeping teens safe and healthy now that school is out.

On June 9, 2011, HAS CEO Marco Jacome and Youth Treatment Manager Julia Romero visited Edgewater’s Helen C. Peirce School of International Studies to talk about the importance of avoiding drugs and alcohol—and to thank Spanish teacher Maria Roche and her class for their support.  Earlier in the year, Ms. Roche’s class completed a research … [Read More…]

On June 7, 2011, HAS CEO Marco Jacome was elected to the board of directors of Faces and Voices of Recovery, a national organization founded to give people in recovery a stronger voice in public policy debate. Faces and Voices of Recovery also works to represent the diversity of America’s recovery community.  Mr. Jacome, its … [Read More…]

Fifty-five HAS employees, friends, and family members joined Chicago Ceasefire, Alderman Rey Colon, the Chicago Police Department, and many more organizations and individuals for the 16th annual ALSO (Alliance of Local Service Organizations) Walk for Peace on Saturday.  The march through Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood raised awareness of violence in our families and communities and … [Read More…]

Healthcare Alternative Systems, the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, and the Community of Wellness are working together to promote smoke-free workplaces. We invite you to take part in our brief Smoke-Free Workplace Survey. Healthcare Alternative Systems, LSNA, and Community of Wellness thank you in advance for your participation. Survey results will be detailed at our upcoming … [Read More…]

HAS CEO Marco Jacome is scheduled to present a lecture at the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC)’s upcoming national conference, “Substance Use Disorders: Understanding Prevention and Treatment Interventions with the Hispanic/Latino Family.” Marco’s talk, “Cultural Elements in Treating Hispanic Populations” will take place on Thursday, May 19. Established in 1993 by the Substance Abuse and … [Read More…]

HAS’s BASTA! Domestic Violence Program is holding a fundraising bake sale.  All proceeds go to help individuals and families experiencing domestic violence access counseling, emergency services, and more.  The bake sale is being held May 16th, 2011 from 12:30 to 7:00 at 2755 W, Armitage.

The HAS Youth Treatment Program and its manager, Julia Romero, are profiled in La Raza’s feature article for May 21, 2011.  The article,  “Jovenes en las Garras del Alcohol” (Youth in Alcohol’s Clutch), is available here.

Thanks to everyone who helped make our 4th annual Treating Moms Well luncheon such a success! Special thanks to awardees Modern Wave Salon and Joan Mudd of the Jennifer Mudd Houghtaling Postpartum Depression Foundation.  Thanks as well to Chicago Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Bechara Choucair and Illinois Secretary of Human Services Michelle Saddler for … [Read More…]