CHICAGO — Friend Health, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) serving Chicago’s South Side, has opened its new Back of the Yards community health center. The opening represents the largest expansion in Friend Health’s nearly three decades of service. Located in the Oppenheimer-Goldblatt Bros. Department Store Building at 4700 S. Ashland Ave., the 15,000-square-foot facility is part of the New City United Yards development. The center has triple the footprint of Friend Health’s former neighborhood site and offers primary care and preventive care.
Offerings include adult and pediatric primary care, maternal health and mental health, an onsite pharmacy with discounted prescriptions and a full-service laboratory. The clinic features 21 exam rooms with dedicated spaces for pediatrics, adult medicine, OB-GYN and behavioral health, along with community programming such as insurance enrollment, social services navigation, fresh food giveaways and workforce development through a community health worker training program. Dental care is planned for 2026.
Friend Health serves more than 40,000 patients annually across the South Side, with six neighborhood health centers and six HRDI behavioral health clinics. The organization offers care regardless of ability to pay.