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Chicago has long grappled with violence as a public health crisis. That includes domestic violence, sexual violence, gun violence, and more. Now, as research increasingly focuses on how survivors recover from and prevent future trauma, health systems are providing programs to help patients rebuild. As part of this effort, Endeavor Health launched Endeavor to HEAL, which stands for health, education, advocacy, and literacy.
Ramon Solhkhah, MD, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Endeavor Health, leads the initiative. He recalls witnessing the limits of emergency medicine while a trauma surgery resident. “All I was doing was pronouncing [people] dead in the emergency room, rather than trying to solve the actual problems of what brought them there,” Solhkhah says.
His experience motivated a career shift to psychiatry, where he shaped Endeavor to HEAL, designed to intervene early and prevent physical trauma from developing into lasting mental health crises.
ER clinicians identify violence survivors and pair them with a peer navigator through ONE Northside, which serves as a bridge between the hospitals and community. The navigator helps survivors build confidence and connects them with resources, from mental healthcare to housing.
In its second year, the program has served nearly 100 patients. “It may be one identified patient we helped telling their neighbor about the program and getting them connected to it,” Solhkhah says.
Originally published in the Fall 2026/Winter 2027 print issue.
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