Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) announced today that the Blue Door Neighborhood Center (BDNC) locations in Pullman, Morgan Park and South Lawndale are now open for in-person wellness classes and services. Blue Door Neighborhood Centers offer no-cost programming focused on physical, mental and social health, and are open to everyone—both BCBSIL members and non-members alike.
The first BDNC opened in Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood at 756 E. 111th Street in April 2019. The Morgan Park location, at 11840 S. Marshfield Ave. began offering virtual services starting in August 2020 and the South Lawndale Center, at 2551 W. Cermak Road, started operating virtually in September 2020.
“We didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic stop us from offering much-needed services at a time when people needed it most – opening our Morgan Park and South Lawndale centers in a virtual environment to bring programming right into people’s homes when they couldn’t come in-person,” said Laron Taylor, director of BCBSIL’s Blue Door Neighborhood Center program. “Now we’re so excited to connect face-to-face while building on our commitment to ensuring hyperlocal access to resources that impact the health of our communities.”
Overall, Blue Door Neighborhood Centers provided more than 700 virtual and outdoor opportunities since the start of the pandemic –continuing to engage community members on-line and through socially-distant, outdoor events, such as our recent vaccination events, produce-box giveaways, pop-up fitness classes and Earth Week plant distributions.
With the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and increased access to vaccinations, multiple live events are planned at each center to celebrate Reopening Week July 12 – 16, including fitness demonstrations, meet & greets with our staff, senior-focused events, pop-up farmers markets and giveaways. Go to BlueDoorCenterIL.com for details.
Each Blue Door Neighborhood Center will also be hosting a Block Party with free, family-centered back-to-school fun designed to engage and empower residents to take control of their health:
BDNC Pullman Block Party Saturday, July 17, 2021 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
BDNC Morgan Park Block Party Saturday, August 21, 2021 11a.m. – 3 p.m.
Pullman and Morgan Park events will feature:
- Live DJ
- Food & treats
- School supplies (first come, first served while supplies last)
- South Shore Drill Team and 40+ Double Dutch teams
- Low-impact fitness demos and activities for the entire family
- Community resource fair focusing on primary care
- City of Chicago resources
- Educational resources focused on mental health and financial literacy
BDNC South Lawndale Block Party Saturday, September 18, 2021 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Featuring:
- Live music
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Care Van®
- Ballet Folklorico
- Balloon artist
- Cooking demonstrations
- Free produce boxes (first come, first served while supplies last)
- Latin Fusion dance demonstrations
The centers are open in-person Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Note that no health care services or treatment are offered by BCBSIL at the Blue Door Neighborhood Centers. Virtual programming will continue to be offered Monday through Friday 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. All BDNC locations are closed on Sunday. Details on all class offerings and other event information is available at BlueDoorCenterIL.com.