University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Carle College of Medicine

The Resilience and Well-Being Lab (the Lab) is a new initiative spearheaded by Professor Ruby Mendenhall, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Democratization of Health Innovation at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign (UIUC). The Lab, housed in the College of Medicine, was launched to support work made possible by a new Illinois state health care reform bill designed to expand services to low-income residents that, among other measures, will support the certification and reimbursement of community health care workers. This project grant will enable Dr. Mendenhall, in collaboration with colleagues from UIUC’s Siebel Center for Design and Morehouse College of Medicine, to work with 50 young people from systemically marginalized communities in Chicago, ages 16-22, to design and pilot an approach to training a new generation of teen community health care workers. The pilot will focus on addressing the immediate mental health and well-being needs of community members most deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the long-term goal of developing a replicable and sustainable model for teen health care workers advocating for and providing support to their communities.