HEALTH & DISABILITY ADVOCATES

Programs: Hda's strategic health initiatives create cross-sector collaborations including those focused on affordable care act (aca) implementation like the digital information hub, illinois health matters, and the small business health collaborative that reaches and educates chicago's small businesses about health care coverage opportunities. The healthy chicago hospital collaborative promotes collective impact on health outcomes in chicago through an environment that fosters collaboration, learning, sharing of resources, data and best practices with the goal of streamlining services and ultimately improving patient care throughout the chicago area. The make medicare work coalition, which is the only dedicated coalition targeting older adults and people with disabilities on issues of health care access in illinois, provides policy advocacy, training, education, outreach and individual assistance to illinois' seniors so that they have access to quality, affordable health care and can make informed choices about their health insurance needs.

hda's disability employment programs provide support for persons with disabilities by identifying systemic barriers to self-sufficiency, employment and acess to healthcare. Hda promotes sound policies to remove such barriers and implements practical solutions such as virtual career fairs and on-line resources for job seekers with disabilities.

hda works to improve health and mental health care access for veterans and military service members by educating community based providers about the unique needs of military service members and their families. Hda's training, technical assistance, and expert policy analysis increases the capacity of systems and providers to offer services to military service members and their families. Hda is a recognized expert in shaping best practice around military sexual trauma (mst) within military and non-military settings, redefining how it is recognized and treated so that survivors feel safe to disclose and recover in a community setting. In addition, to ensure the unique and unmet needs of illinois national guard (ilng) members are met, hda trains volunteer veterans to work with ilng members to provide peer support and assist in accessing much needed health and mental health care services and supports.