By NorthShore – Edward-Elmhurst Health

The YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago’s Betzy Berganza remembers her first visit to the organization in 2007. She recalls walking in and finding a fellow Latina struggling to fill out a form. The problem? The woman couldn’t read or write English and no one in the office understood Spanish. With no one else able to help, Berganza jumped to action and offered to translate for the woman.

Soon enough, Berganza was volunteering eight hours a week at the YWCA, connecting Spanish-speaking people to the invaluable healthcare resources that the organization provides as part of its mission to promote health education, screenings, case management and navigation in Lake County. Now, she works at the organization full time as its director of health promotion and navigation services. Along with her team, she has helped expand the YWCA’s outreach and services, including increasing the number of mammograms it offers from 35 to 550. 

“This is not a job. This is just something that I love to do,” Berganza says. “Every morning I know that I have maybe so many things to do, but I say: ‘I will do as much as I can.’”

Watch YWCA’s Director of Health Promotion and Navigation Services Betzy Berganza and her team cleverly set up a health fair at the Lake County youth soccer match to connect families to more than a dozen health organizations.

To support the organization’s work, NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) chose the YWCA of Metro Chicago as one of its 2023 Community Investment Fund (CIF) partners. The partnership comes with a 2-year grant of $279,993, which will help create healthcare workshops, expand the YWCA’s team, and continue to eliminate barriers to accessing care in Lake County.

“When we received the letter [saying we won], I was jumping. I was so happy that we got the grant,” Berganza says. “The people who we are working with and this whole process: They are amazing.”

Already, the organization has put the partnership to use helping the Lake County community. On Tuesday, Oct. 2, the YWCA hosted its annual No One Fights Alone Breast Cancer Memorial. The Waukegan event drew more than 200 people affected by breast cancer for a night of reflection, food and education. Doctors from NorthShore’s Kellogg Cancer Center spoke at the event.

The YWCA also recently worked with NorthShore to host a community health and resources fair in August, which invited about a dozen healthcare organizations to set up tables during a local youth soccer match. Attendees were offered information, screenings and support for free.

“What I would love for everyone to know about the YWCA and all these different organizations is that you’re not alone,” said Blanca Alvarez, YWCA senior community navigator, who works on Berganza’s team and helped organize the two well-attended events.

Berganza hopes to use future CIF funding to expand access to mental health resources and medical care for the uninsured. She would also like to increase access to potentially life-saving screenings and assist with the area’s recent influx of undocumented immigrants. “I'm going to keep knocking doors and saying ‘You guys, look: We have a way to do this. We need the resources to keep helping the community,’” Berganza says.

At NorthShore, we believe that to truly care for the communities we serve, we must have clear understanding of community health needs and get involved in our communities. The Community Investment Fund is one of many ways in which we seek to engage locally and provide community-connected care. Learn more.