Getting to the Core of care in Chicago.

Vice President Al Gore and Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun (D-Ill.) were among the high-profile officials who attended the dedication of the Core Center on Chicago's west side. The nation's first freestanding specialized outpatient clinic for people with HIV/AIDS, the $25-million facility opened October 19, offering primary care, diagnostic procedures, case-management services, access to clinical trials, prevention programs, and psychosocial support--all under one roof, Health officials hope the "one-stop shopping" concept underlying Core will prove more efficient and user-friendly for patients who normally receive their health care piecemeal. Health and Human Services secretary Donna Shalala said she envisioned the center as "a seamless system of integrated services so that no one falls through the cracks." She hopes it will become a model for other cities.

Core is a collaboration between Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Illinois's largest private hospital, and Cook County Hospital, Illinois's only public hospital and the major health provider for about 30% of the Chicago area's HIV-impacted, including the homeless.