How community, healthcare groups work to improve Chicago's life expectancy gap
By Christine Tressel
Published on May 6, 2026.
Marquis Pitts, a West Garfield Park resident, is leading a campaign to help his community live longer. This is part of a larger effort by community groups and healthcare institutions to reduce the life expectancy gap in Chicago by half by 2030. The new Sankofa Village Wellness Center recently opened in West Garfield. Pitts is now the Community Concierge at the center. Dr. Omar Lateef, Rush University Medical Center president and CEO, believes these efforts will help reduce the gap. Since 2020, life expectancy for Black residents in Chicago has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, reaching its highest since 2010.
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