Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities

Improving the health and well-being of children and adolescents where they live, learn, work and play is a critical part of our mission at Lurie Children’s. For decades, our experts have partnered closely with community-based organizations and leaders, linking clinical work with grassroots expertise to develop evidence-based initiatives that help communities thrive. Supported by philanthropy, the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities is the hub for all Lurie Children’s community-focused initiatives.

Read our 2023 Annual Report Read our 2023 Report on the State of Adolescent and Child Health in Chicago

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160 Community Partners Attend Lurie Children's Summit to Tackle Child Poverty

Community organizations, experts and advocates convened to identify challenges and potential solutions to child poverty.

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Our Community Initiatives and Partnerships

Social Influencers of Health - the conditions in which we are born, live, learn, work, play and age - directly impact in our health. Due to the inequitable distribution of resources across Chicago, there are strikingly different quality of life and health outcomes for our white, Black, and Hispanic/Latinx communities. At Lurie Children’s, we consciously choose to use the term “influencers” rather than the more commonly used “determinants” because we recognize that these conditions and their outcomes are not unchangeable nor predetermined, but instead can and ought to be improved. The Magoon Institute leads Lurie Children's work to improve influencers of health through our people, programs and partnerships, bringing us closer to a healthier future for every child.

Learn about our programming by clicking through the links below.

Austin Community Health Hub

The Austin Community Health Hub is being co-developed by Stone Community Development Corporation (Stone CDC), a trusted organization in the Austin community, and Lurie Children's. Our shared vision is that of a healing, welcoming space for youth and families to seek clinical care and community-based services.

Learn more about this partnership

Community Health Needs Assessments

Every three years, Lurie Children's conducts a comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) to inform our community health implementation strategy. The Community Health Needs Assessments are a systematic, data-driven approach to determining the health status and needs of Lurie Children's community service areas.

Read our latest reports