Entering the block on 4100 Fillmore Street is like driving into the future. The street – in stark contrast to the many run-down alleys and avenues in the neighborhood with their liquor stores, fast-food chains and dilapidated residential buildings – is like seeing social medicine come alive.

The street is teaming with an upbeat business spirit: We are greeted by road workers who are paving a new parking lot and are repairing the asphalt in front of a refurbished 100-year-plus red-brick factory that today houses the Fillmore Linen Service, a 45,000 square feet laundry service.

Next to it, a building of similar size is being prepared for new tenants, which will soon open shop here in the vicinity of the old Sears Tower, the former business heart of Chicago that David Ansell from Rush University System for Health wants to revive, together with local and international partners.

Ansell’s social medicine vision is to help Chicago’s impoverished West Side to close the life expectancy gap with the city’s downtown – which today is a staggering 16 years – by not just improving medical services and strengthening access but also boosting business prospects in the area.

More to come

The task at hand is gargantuan, as most of the West Side of Chicago has been on a downside spiral ever since retail giant Sears moved downtown in the 1970s and discontinued its overall activity here completely by the late 1980s, taking with it more than 20,000 jobs and depleting the area of its business and life prospects.

The 40-million-dollar investment for Fillmore Linen Service was only possible because Ansell fought to convince Rush’s management and board to have its laundry washed here instead of in Wisconsin or Indiana and save some 700,000 dollars each year.

That Lurie Children’s Hospital joined the venture has allowed Fillmore to hire more than 100 West Side residents. They not only have a job now but receive health insurance, says industry veteran and Chief Operating Officer Craig Forgea, who has helped set up the business.

"We’re definitely one of the rare companies that has opened shop on this side of town and in North Lawndale in the past 30 years,” Forgea said. “This is something that the community really needed. With this, we have a greater opportunity to help improve the community.” 

Forgea has even more in store as other hospitals want Fillmore’s services. “We’re also looking at another site about two miles away, where we can establish a second facility. This way, we can begin the process of making meaningful changes here.”

But he is aware of the big challenge and that other businesses need to join to make a marked difference. “There’s still a long way to go, but it’s a starting point to show that we can accomplish something. Hopefully, people see the work we’re doing and will decide to invest in North Lawndale, to make real changes along with us,” Forgea added.

Learning with excitement

Ronald Miller is one of the 100 new workers at the facility who recently moved to the West Side because of the laundry service. “I started working at Fillmore on May 20, and it’s been an amazing experience so far. The neighborhood has really brought in some great jobs for us, and the staff here is fantastic. It’s been such a positive environment, and I’m really enjoying my time working here.”

He also sees the possibility for things to turn around. “I truly hope more businesses like this come to our community. I’m optimistic that more firms will open up in this area so we can continue improving both our services and the community as a whole.”

Meanwhile, Fillmore hopes to create more than 250 jobs and add 9 million dollars to the local economy, also investing in local staff, says Ivette Jones, who is training newcomers to be ready to support the linen factory’s goal to clean up to 15 million kilos of laundry every year.

“We have several weeks of training to allow our staff to learn all facets of the trade, properly wash and fold the linen,” she says. “For many, it’s their first time working in a linen factory. But they are learning with excitement.”

Paradigm shift

For Ansell, the linen service is only the start of his social medicine venture, saying that the business investment has helped West Side United attract around 10 similar engagements over the past few years despite the coronavirus pandemic.

These efforts also have a deeper philosophical component, Ansell said, referring to German thinker Thomas Kuhn, whose book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions introduced the notion of the paradigm shift, which looks at how ideas can change systematically over time. 

"The issue we’re facing today is that all this money going into healthcare isn’t addressing the core problems,” Ansell explained. “The current approach just doesn’t make sense. We need to rethink it.”

For him, the core of the problem are issues like racism, economic deprivation, and capital extraction. “You can’t fix these problems with just doctors and hospitals. You need solutions that extend beyond that, like providing basic services such as laundry linens. That’s the shift we need to make,” he added.

Food for health

After setting up the linen service, Ansell is now looking to leverage hospitals to outsource their food needs to local suppliers. But more needs to be done to bring about a change in thinking and create a true paradigm shift. 

“In Chicago, about a hundred corporations, including hospitals, have started this type of work. However, many corporations have been slow to adopt similar initiatives because of the risks involved, partly rooted in societal issues like racism,” he says.

Some progress has been made though, such as the establishment of local call centers. But more corporations need to be involved. “The goal is to show business leaders that initiatives like the linen factory can be both socially impactful and economically viable,” he said.

To continue reading the feature, click on story number 7. in the map below.