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When I was a student, a young student, I had the pleasure of meeting Martin Luther King.
He had just spoken at a temple and so I went to hear him and then I decided to go around
the back and actually shake his hand. And, I can see him smiling at me as I forced my
way as he was getting into his car. It was just a wonderful day.
There's a quote that's very important to me and that is when the Reverend Martin Luther
King said, "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking
and inhumane." That quote, I think, exemplifies the values of this campus. The reason I came
to UIC was because of their deep commitment to issues of injustices and aspiring for a
greater egalitarian society.
The increasing health disparities within certain economically challenged communities, ethnically
and racially diverse communities, is escalating — and we want to be at the forefront of
understanding the growing inequities and, more importantly, how to prevent the inequities.
We just received a major grant from the National Institutes of Health for $15 million to study
Hispanic and Latino adults and issues of health disparities. To have this foundational grant
is truly a jewel in the crown of this institution.
Mile Square Health Center is a federally funded community-based health care center that provides
a very broad-based array of services to economically challenged communities. We received a major
award that has allowed us to expand the facility. I've had the pleasure of visiting with the
Mile Square leadership.
There's a deep commitment on behalf of the advisory committee, as well as this institution,
to the development of Mile Square. And, if you step back and think about — where is
health care going? Well, it's moving to the community. I mean, hospitals will be utilized
for very chronic and severe illnesses, but prevention and other kinds of care, primary
care, will move to either community centers and/or the home.