The 2017 Illinois Reentry Conference: Health Equity and Social Justice is a two-day event being hosted by Community Reentry Project and curated by PHIMC and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and held on June 15-16, 2017 in Chicago. The goal of the conference is to bring together bright minds to build skills around health equity and social justice for the incarcerated population. It is our hope that we create awareness, reduce stigma, and provoke conversations that matter. On Thursday, June 15, 2017, the conference will commence with an opening reception from 6:00-8:00pm, featuring live music and a keynote address from Nneka Jones Tapia, Psy.D, executive director of Cook County Department of Corrections. On Friday, June 16, 2017, there will be workshops from 9:00am-3:30pm, including a panel presentation on mental health along with workshops, plenaries, and personal stories. Both breakfast and lunch will be provided to all conference attendees.
There is no cost to attend, however, all participants must RSVP. Please register early as space is limited.
Speakers and panelists for Friday June 16, 2017:
- LeVon Stone Sr., Program Director, CeaseFire Illinois/Cure Violence
- Michael Gaines MPA, Ryan White Program Corrections Coordinator, IDPH
- Erik Glenn, Executive Director, Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus
- Karen A. Reitan, Executive Director, PHIMC
- Carmen Sanchex, Women’s Correntional Health Services Administrator, CORE Center
- Rashonda Williams, Community Reentry Project – Reentry Manager, PHIMC
- Gabriela Zapata-Alma, LCSW CADC, Director of Substance Use Treatment Programs, Thresholds
- Dr. Dena Williams, Director of Behavioral Health, Cook County Sheriff’s Dept. of Corrections
- Dr. Melvin Hinton, Chief of Mental Health, Illinois Department of Corrections
- Dr. Chad Zawitz, Infectious Diseases Specialist, Cook County Jail
- Dr. Elizabeth Feldman, Division Chief for Clinical Operations, Department of Correctional Health, Cermak Health Services of Cook County
- Laura Roche, Program Coordinator, PHIMC
