American Indian Health Service of Chicago

02/20/2026

🌿 Honoring the Land, Centering Community🌿
AIHSC was honored to be a part of the ribbon cutting for the newly renovated Caldwell Woods Wellness Center. This space was created for gathering, healing, and reconnecting with the land.

The ceremony included an acknowledgment by Toni Preckwinkle, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, recognizing that Caldwell Woods, like all Forest Preserve Lands in Cook County, sits on the ancestral homelands of many Native Nations, including the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi, as well as the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo, Sioux, and Mascouten peoples.

We were especially grateful that AIHSC's Cyndee Fox-starr was invited to offer a prayer honoring our ancestors, giving thanks for the land, and asking for healing and respect for all who visit this space. It is important to remember that wellness, community, and connection to the land have been the Native way of life.

02/13/2026

If you missed Taco Tuesday at American Indian Health Service this past week, then you missed quite a bit...

- AIHS gifts and giveaways
- An AWESOME, free lunch featuring “build-your-own” tacos
- Incredible discussions about healthy eating and tribal traditions regarding food and health

Don’t miss the next one! Join our community as we host Taco Tuesday at AIHS on the second Tuesday of every month until May. For more information, visit www.aihschgo.org/event/taco-tuesdays, or email Dr. Triejaye McDowell at tmcdowell@aihschgo.org or call her at (773) 883-9100.

02/13/2026

REMINDER! The American Indian Health Service of Chicago will be closed this coming Monday, February 16, 2026, in observance of Presidents Day.

🏥 American Indian Health Service of Chicago
📞 For appointments or questions, please call 773-883-9100

02/13/2026

Don’t forget to join us to next Tuesday to celebrate Native voices and traditions with AIHSC.

🪶February Storytelling – Join Us Next Tuesday! 🌿

Celebrate Native voices and traditions with the American Indian Health Service of Chicago! ✨ Hear stories, history, and teachings from tribal storytellers — a space for families to connect, listen, and honor our culture. 🧡

📅 Tuesday, FEB 17 • 5:30–7 PM
Let’s keep our stories alive! 🎙️🌎

🔗 Join us Live on Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84795770599?pwd=bdVFL1MVQkapbomIJw7METd199VTWm.1
🆔 Meeting ID: 847 9577 0599🔐 Passcode: 794272

02/13/2026

❤️💛💚Black History Month | Honoring Black & Native Connections 🪶🥁🦅

As we continue to honor Black History Month, we also acknowledge the Indigenous history of this land. Telling Black history in Chicago cannot happen without respecting Native sovereignty. Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, often named the founder of Chicago, was married to Kitihawa, a woman of the Potawatomi people. Through this relationship, DuSable became Native kin and was recognized as the first non-Native naturalized citizen of the Potawatomi Nation. Together, they had two children. This is not about claiming Native identity, it is about honoring Indigenous sovereignty. DuSable’s ability to live and remain here was made possible through his relationship with Kitihawa and the Potawatomi community. Chicago stands on Native land. The Potawatomi and other tribes were forcibly removed in the 1830s, yet Native people were never erased. Today, Chicago is home to more than 65,000 Native people from over 175 tribes. This Black History Month, we honor Black history while uplifting Indigenous truth and acknowledging where our histories intersect, without erasure.

🪶 Native people are still here.

📕 Our stories are still living.

02/11/2026

❤️National Wear Red❤️
In honor of National Wear Red Day, we at AIHSC wear red to affirm that your health is our priority. ❤️

Heart disease continues to impact American Indian and Alaska Native families and remains the leading cause of death for women. By wearing red, we raise awareness and stand in solidarity with our mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and sisters.

Wearing red is a reminder of the importance of prevention, education, and caring for our hearts — today and every day.
GoRedforWomen.org

02/10/2026

🪶February Storytelling – Join Us Next Tuesday! 🌿

Celebrate Native voices and traditions with the American Indian Health Service of Chicago! ✨ Hear stories, history, and teachings from tribal storytellers — a space for families to connect, listen, and honor our culture. 🧡

📅 Tuesday, FEB 17 • 5:30–7 PM
Let’s keep our stories alive! 🎙️🌎

🔗 Join us Live on Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84795770599?pwd=bdVFL1MVQkapbomIJw7METd199VTWm.1
🆔 Meeting ID: 847 9577 0599🔐 Passcode: 794272

02/10/2026

💛 Know Your Numbers and Protect Your Heart 💛

Our hearts keep us moving for our families and communities. High blood pressure and cholesterol can make your heart work harder and affect your kidneys.

✅ Check your blood pressure at every clinic visit
✅ Ask what your target numbers should be
✅ Get your cholesterol checked
✅ Take your medicines as prescribed, ask your care team if you have questions

Keeping your heart healthy is part of taking care of yourself and your community. ❤️

📅Make Your Appointment Today!
✔️Same-day appointments are available.
📞 Call: 773-883-9100
🏥 American Indian Health Service of Chicago
📍 4326 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60641

02/10/2026

February is National Heart Health Month ❤️

Physical health matters. Our bodies were created to move, not to sit. In our tribal communities and across our Indigenous ancestry on homelands and in urban Native spaces, movement was essential to life and survival. We lived in balance with our bodies.🌍❤️

Today, many of us sit for long hours and are discouraged from stepping away. From a physiological standpoint, movement keeps blood flowing and supports a healthy heart. Movement is medicine.🩺❤️

You don’t need to do anything extreme, just move. Take 10 minutes every hour to stand, stretch, or walk. Care for your heart. Care for yourself. This message comes from your doctors at AIHSC.❤️🏥

02/09/2026

❤️‍🩹Healing Circle This Thursday❤️‍🩹
This gathering for Native people in Chicago is to come together in support of mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Each healing circle gathering will focus on processing grief through community support and/or traditional healing, while recognizing that these challenges impact our communities in many ways.

All relatives are welcome. There are no age restrictions, children and families are welcome. We honor community care and do not want childcare concerns to prevent participation.

Join us for a free, engaging session focused on mental health, emotional and spiritual well being.

📅 Thursday, February 12, 2026
⏰ 5:30 PM - 7PM
📍 Location: American Indian Health Service of Chicago
4326 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60641
➡️ Activity Room-Enter through parking lot Door #2
👥Free Event For the Native American Indian community only
🍴 Dinner provided.
QUESTIONS AND MORE INFORMATION:
CONTACT SERGIO GARCIA @AIHSCHGO.ORG OR
SHANDIIN BEGAY AT SBEGAY .ORG OR CALL 773-883-9100

02/09/2026

🌮Don't forget, Tomorrow is Taco Tuesday 🌮
Join American Indian Health Service of Chicago for a fun, hands on class all about food choices, reading labels, and everyday nutrition. Plus enjoy a FREE taco lunch!
🗓️Tuesday, February 10, 2026
⏰11:00 AM-2:00 PM
📍In Person
💲FREE
📌Location: American Indian Health Service of Chicago, 4326 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, Il 60641
Activity Room. Enter through parking lot door #2
👥For the Native American community only.
📚Learn tips for healthier eating
🌮Taco lunch included
❓Questions?
Dr. Triejaye McDowell
✉️tmcdowell@aihschgo.org
☎️ (773)-883-9100

🌮NEXT WEEK TUESDAY is Taco Tuesday 🌮
Join the American Indian Health Service of Chicago for a fun, hands-on class all about food choices, reading labels, and everyday nutrition—plus enjoy a FREE taco lunch!
🗓 Tuesday, February 10, 2026
⏰ 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
📍 In-person
💲 FREE
📌 Location: American Indian Health Service of Chicago, 4326 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60641
Activity Room – Enter through parking lot door #2
👥 For the Native American community only
📚 Learn practical tips for healthier eating
🌮 Taco lunch included
❓ Questions?
Dr. Triejaye McDowell
📧 tmcdowell@aihschgo.org
📞 (773) 883-9100
👉 Learn more: www.aihschgo.org/event/taco-tuesdays

02/09/2026

🍕National Pizza Day 🍕

If you grew up in Chicago, especially Uptown, you know pizza wasn’t just food, it was community, comfort, and connection. For many of us, Gigio’s Pizza has been part of our stories for years. From grabbing a slice after class at Little Bighorn, INAD (Truman College) to stopping by after community events at AIC, St. Augustine's and family gatherings, this was our pizza, the kind we shared, laughed over, and grew up on together.

On National Pizza Day, we’re celebrating the spots that nourished us like Gigio's, Jake's, Zephyrs and brought us together, and became part of our memories. These spots will always feel like home.

What’s your favorite Chicago pizza spot that brings back memories? 🍕❤️