Medical/Health Resources
TAG Oral Care Center for Excellence in Chicago
TAG Oral Care Center (TAG OCC) provides free dental care to eligible, underserved adult patient populations. TAG OCC is located in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood near public transportation and Interstate 90/94.
To qualify for free dental care, patients must be:
- Illinois residents
- Eligible for Medicaid or uninsured with a household income not greater than 200 percent of the federal poverty level
More details are available in the TAG OCC flyer. Interested patients can see if they qualify to make an appointment by calling (866) TAG-OCCE/ (866) 824-6223 or visiting TAG OCC’s website.
The Child Neurology Foundation provides a telehealth tip sheet to help families and children prepare for video or phone appointments and make them as comfortable and successful as possible.
COVID-19 testing can help you know if you have COVID-19 so you can decide what to do next, like getting treatment to reduce your risk of severe illness and taking steps to lower your chances of spreading the virus to others. Visit the Testing for COVID-19 page on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for information on types of COVID tests, getting a test and interpreting your results.
The Arc of Illinois Family-to-Family Health Information Center
The Arc of Illinois Family-to-Family Health Information Center works with families and professionals to help with questions and concerns related to the health of children and youth with special healthcare needs under the age of 22.
The center focuses on sharing the most thorough, up-to-date resources regarding health insurance options, government benefits, youth transition concerns and more to help children thrive in their community.
For more information, call (815) 464-1832, ext. 1017, or email familytofamily@thearcofil.org or mary@thearcofil.org.
The Autism Collective is a collaboration of Easterseals Central Illinois and OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois. The collective is working to end the isolation felt by those living with autism by uniting experts and connecting families.
The collective coordinates early identification, diagnosis, therapy, services and support. Its care coordination services are available throughout Illinois (outside of Chicago).
The Center for Chronic Illness
The Center for Chronic Illness (CCI) is a nonprofit organization offering support and education to promote well-being and decrease isolation for people affected by chronic illness. CCI offers adults and teens living with chronic illness a variety of support groups and programs focusing on emotional well-being, health education and community. CCI provides:
- Chronic illness support groups for adults and teens
- Supporting loved ones and parenting children with health challenges support groups
- BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ support groups
- Health education programs
- Resources
- Events
The Chicago Lighthouse is a social service organization serving the blind, visually impaired, disabled and veteran communities. It provides vision rehabilitation services, education, employment opportunities and assistive technology for people of all ages throughout Chicagoland. It also provides national and statewide resources for college, brailler repair, employment, recreation, service animals and more.
The organization’s Lader Family Scholarship Program is open to Illinois residents who are blind or visually impaired, as well as Chicago Lighthouse employees who are blind, visually impaired, have another disability or are veterans. You can learn more about the Lader Family Scholarship and other scholarship opportunities on the Chicago Lighthouse website.
The Conversation Project is an initiative of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to help people talk about their wishes for care through the end of life so others can understand and respect those wishes. The project offers free tools, videos and other resources to help make difficult conversations with loved ones easier. Resources are available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Audio (English). Guide topics include:
- A conversation starter guide
- Talking to your health team
- What matters to me workbook for people with serious illness
- How to start talking with a child who is living with a serious illness about the health care that is right for them
- Encouraging conversations in your community
The official site of the Hearing Improvement Kids Endowment Fund, Inc. (HIKE). The purpose of the fund is to provide hearing devices for children with hearing losses between the ages of newborn and 20 years whose parents are unable to meet this special need financially.
Children are eligible to receive a grant providing the need is verified by a prescription from an audiologist or physician.
The Humanitarian Foundation Grottoes International program helps cover the costs of dental treatment, including hospital and anesthesia costs, for children with Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, Organ Transplants or Muscular Dystrophy and related neuromuscular disorders.