CDPH Expands Mental Health Safety Net with $16.2M Investment, Adds Street Psychiatry Pilot

CHICAGO - The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is proud to announce the next phase of its Mental Health Equity Initiative (MHEI), a partner network launched in 2020 to complement direct service delivery through CDPH mental health clinics (MHCs). From 2020-2025, MHEI enrolled over 173,000 new clients and invested $57.9 million in expanding behavioral health services. Learnings from five years of MHEI implementation informed CDPH's program design of the 2026 launch of the Healthy Chicago Mental Health Collective (HC-MHC).

HC-MHC establishes a bold new chapter that mobilizes CDPH's Mental Health Centers and 53 new partner organizations to expand behavioral health services across Chicago. HC-MHC will strengthen Chicago's mental health safety net to communities of high need and priority populations who experience service gaps.

"Chicago is building a mental health system that meets people where they are, rooted in dignity, equity, and care," said Mayor Brandon Johnson. "Through the Healthy Chicago Mental Health Collective, we are expanding access to culturally responsive, community-based services and bringing together a citywide network of partners to better coordinate care and reach residents with the greatest need. From clinics and schools to street-level outreach, we are ensuring every resident, regardless of income, immigration status, or neighborhood, can get the support they need. This is how we close gaps, invest in healing, and create a safer, healthier Chicago for all."

In this new iteration, HC-MHC is designed to enhance collaboration among mental health providers and scale innovative, lower-barrier services in clinics and beyond, encompassing non-clinical locations such as schools, community centers, public transit and other public spaces. HC-MHC aligns with the City of Chicago's Healthy Chicago Strategic Plan, which centers on underserved communities and aims to close the city's life expectancy gap.

"On behalf of the Chicago Board of Health, I salute the excellent work and progress made by CDPH under the leadership of commissioner Dr. Olusimbo Ige," said President of the Chicago Board of Health, Bishop Horace Smith, MD. "In the past year, CDPH has been intentional and successful in expanding mental health services in high-need communities and priority populations throughout Chicagoland. By strengthening public-private partnerships and connections to wraparound services, CDPH has seen a dramatic increase in patient volume, ensuring all Chicagoans have access to necessary care. We-the Board of Health-unanimously approve of the Healthy Chicago Mental Health Collective and look forward to the continuing positive impact that CDPH brings to the mental and behavioral health of all Chicagoans."

HC-MHC reflects behavioral health care that varies in intensity and service types offered, such as outpatient therapy, psychiatric services, mobile behavioral health services, peer services, case management, community health worker services, and crisis intervention. HC-MHC supports behavioral health service expansion in 53 community areas across Chicago, with a specific focus on communities that experience moderate-to-high unmet mental health treatment needs and high uninsured rates (see Figure 1).

Additionally, HC-MHC is designed to support service models that are tailored to rendering accessible services to the following priority populations: high-risk children and youth, gender-based violence and human trafficking survivors, people living with HIV/AIDs, people impacted by violence and incarceration, people with serious mental illness and substance use, and people with complex medical and social needs. Through coordinated services across CDPH's seven city-run Mental Health Clinics and HC-MHC partner sites, residents receive culturally responsive, trauma-informed care regardless of immigration status, income, or insurance coverage. Highlights of the expansion include:

• Community-Collocated Providers: Deliver mental health services in settings collocated with other medical and social services (such as libraries and food pantries). This integrated approach reduces barriers to care and supports person-centered mental health care alongside other essential services.
• Clinic-Based Providers: Provide comprehensive behavioral health services within traditional healthcare settings.
• School-Based Providers: Deliver services directly within school settings and often coordinate with educational and student support services. This model increases access to care, supports early identification and intervention, and integrates mental health support into students' daily learning environments.
• Street Psychiatry and Providers Serving Individuals with Serious Mental Illness: Higher levels of care delivered through innovative, field-based models that move beyond traditional brick-and-mortar settings to provide intensive support to people experiencing serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and homelessness.

"Chicago's vision for mental health care is rooted in equity, accessibility, and partnership," said CDPH Commissioner Olusimbo "Simbo" Ige, MD, MS, MPH. "For too many residents, getting mental health care has felt out of reach or out of touch with their lived experiences. The Healthy Chicago Mental Health Collective builds on years of investment in behavioral health services across the city and expands our ability to connect people with compassionate, responsive care. By working alongside community and clinical partners and introducing innovative approaches like street psychiatry, Chicago is delivering a health system that meets people where they are and helps them access the care and support they need to heal."

A total of $16.2 million is being invested through a combination of corporate funds, Opioid Settlement Funds, and Ryan White Part A funds to support this work. Award amounts vary based on service model, populations and communities served, and level of care. CDPH is awarding funding to the following partners to build the Healthy Chicago Mental Health Collective (HC-MHC):

Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center ($698,913); Access Community Health Network ($350,000); Alivio Medical Center Inc ($350,000); Alternatives Inc ($350,000); Asian Human Service Family Health Center ($240,000); Bright Star Community Outreach Corporation ($240,000); BUILD Incorporated ($240,000); Centro Sanar ($240,000); Chicago Commons Association ($350,000); Chicago Family Health Center ($240,000); Chinese American Service League, Inc ($240,000); Enlace Chicago ($240,000); Envision Unlimited ($240,000); Erie Family Health Center ($350,000); Excel Community Development Corporation ($240,000); Family Guidance Centers Inc ($240,000); Family Service and Mental Health Center of Cicero ($240,000); Freedom International Outreach Ministries ($350,000); Gads Hill Center ($240,000); Habilitative Systems, Inc ($240,000); Haymarket Center ($240,000); Infant Welfare Society of Chicago ($240,000); Ignite ($240,000); Institute for Nonviolence Chicago (INVC) ($315,556); Just A Mile Away Mental Health Services Inc ($350,000); Juvenile Protective Association ($240,000); La Rabida Children's Hospital ($240,000); Lawndale Christian Conference Center ($1,150,000); Midwest Asian Health Association (MAHA) ($350,000); Metropolitan Family Services ($240,000); Northwestern University Settlement Association ($240,000); Nourishing Hope ($240,000); PCC Community Wellness Center ($350,000); Pilsen Wellness Center ($240,000); The Puerto Rican Cultural Center ($240,000); Rincon Family Services ($240,000); Safer Foundation ($460,000); SGA Youth & Family Services ($240,000); Sinai Health System ($240,000); Sista Afya Community Care ($240,000); Swedish Covenant Health ($350,000); TASC, Inc ($310,000); The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired ($240,000); The Night Ministry ($400,000); Tisdale-Woods Foundation ($240,000); Trellus ($350,000); UCAN ($480,000); UIC COIP (Community Outreach Intervention Projects) ($350,000); Urban Initiatives INC ($350,000); WES Health System ($240,000); WOCC ($240,000); Youth Guidance ($240,000); YWCA Metropolitan Chicago ($240,000).

Community and clinical partners across the Healthy Chicago Mental Health Collective (HC-MHC) reflected on what this investment means for the residents and neighborhoods they serve:

"This partnership strengthens our ability to deliver vital mental health services that help children and families grow healthy, strong, and confident. Removing barriers to care requires thoughtful coordination and a shared commitment across our community. This funding expands what's possible, allowing us to reach more patients with the support and resources they deserve." - Infant Welfare Society

"This funding allows us to continue breaking down barriers to care and meet our community where they are. With the HC-MHC grant, we are expanding services that empower individuals and families to heal, grow, and thrive-especially those who have historically faced limited access to mental health support." - Cathryn Savino, LCPC, Director of Behavioral Health at Trellus

"UI Health Mile Square and COIP are proud to partner with CDPH to bring care directly to those who need it most. Through the launch of a mobile street psychiatry program, we are expanding access for individuals who face significant barriers to traditional clinic-based services and advancing equitable, community-centered care." - UI Health Mile Square and COIP

Figure 1: Map indicates community areas of high need based on unmet mental health treatment needs for moderate or serious psychological distress rates and uninsured rates. Map displaying both uninsured rates (2019-2023) and unmet mental health treatment need among moderate or serious psychological distress rates (2023-2024) in Chicago community areas. Uninsured rate (2019-2023) is displayed in shades of pink, with lighter pink used for a lower uninsured rate and darker pink used for higher uninsured rate. Unmet mental health treatment need among moderate or serious psychological distress rates (2023-2024) are displayed in shades of blue, with light blue indicating lower distress rates and darker blue indicating higher distress rates. Community areas where both of these variables are high are shown in darker purple; area where both are low are shown in very light purple.

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