Rep. Davis Partners With Safer Foundation in Urging Healthcare Agencies to Hire Ex-Felons

By Chinta Strausberg

Using John Hopkins Hospital’s as an example, Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-7^th) and Safer Foundation officials Thursday called on the healthcare industry to hire more ex-felons.

“If Johns Hopkins Hospital can do it, we can do it,” said Davis who spoke before about 30 f healthcare providers including GEO Reentry Outreach and Operations manager Emanuel Barr, during the workforce development healthcare forum at the Illinois Medical District (IMD), 2100 West Harrison.

They honored Melody Young,and her son, Bennie Walker, 20, who was given a scholarship by Rep. Davis to attend Jackson state University where he is a sophomore majoring in communicating disorder speech.

Young, a 48-year-old mother of 8, is now a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) whose goal is to become a registered nurse, but her road to success has been more than bumpy.

The daughter of a Chicago policeman whose mother worked for the Board of Education, Young once sold drugs and a “hustler”; that is until she went to prison. “I had a chance to go to a drug rehab center, but I wanted to go to the penitentiary,” she told this reporter. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me because it was there that I said, ‘this is not the place for me.”

When she got out of prison,Young reached out to the Safer Foundation, headed by Victor B. Dickson, and Rep. Davis. Together, they wrote letters of recommendation for her to get a job in the health care field. She needed a waiver because of her record. Young said of all the names she provided they only recognized one, Rep. Davis and she received her waiver needed to become a certified nursing assistant.

Introduced by attorney Sodiqa R. Williams, associate vice president of Policy & Strategy at the Safer Foundation, Pamela D. Paulk, president of the Johns Hopkins Medicine International, first spoke of the “huge tragedy” that happened in Baltimore, MD but said “people are coming together” as a catalyst for social and economic change.

“The key to that is jobs,”she said praising Johns Hopkins who set aside $7 million to build a hospital and a university. It was the largest philanthropic gift in American history.The Johns Hopkins University opened in 1876.

Paulk and Davis told of the amazing story of Mr. Johns Hopkins, one of 11 children, who donated $7 million for a university and a hospital in Baltimore. Hopkins, who died on December 24,1873 at the age of 78, was not just an entrepreneur but an abolitionist who said in a letter to the trustees dated March 10, 1873, “The indigent sick of this city and its environs, without regard to sex, age, or color, who may require surgical or medical treatment…and the poor of this city and state of all races,who are stricken down by any casualty, shall be received into the hospital,without charge.” He also said those who could pay should be admitted as well.

Paulk said given the era of his demands, that was an outstanding request, but since then, Johns Hopkins,under the leadership of Paulk, has led in the hiring of ex-felons. She gets200,000 applications a year from people wanting to work at the hospital including those with “limited opportunities” like ex-felons. Paulk is proud to hire from the community.

While Illinois demands waivers for ex-felons working in certain positions, Paulk said, “We chose not to the waivers. We do not use the (ban the) box” form. “We use guidelines” like the age and type of the offense.” She said studies have proven ex-felons stay as long and get the same kinds of evaluations.

Davis praised Paulk saying her hospital hires more ex-felons than any hospital he knows. Davis has 24hospitals in his Seventh Congressional District office.

The forum included a panel discussion entitled “Expanding Healthcare Opportunities” that was headed by Tony Lowery, who is director of Policy & Advocacy at the Safer Foundation.

The panelists were: Attorney Sodiqa R. Williams, associate Vice President Policy & Strategy, Cook County Comm. Bridget Gainer, Andrea Zopp, president/CEO of the Chicago Urban League, Charles “Chuck” Jackson, senior counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and Cynthia Cornelius, director of Client and Community Services.

At a press conference held a tthe IMD, Dickson said there were 3.9 million people in Illinois who have criminal records. Safer Foundation’s mission is to offer ex-felons programs that give them alternatives to a life of crime, prepare them to return into society with a changed attitude and link them with jobs.

Rep. Davis urged other healthcare agencies to follow the lead of the Johns Hopkins Hospital he says leads the nation in hiring ex-felons. “Safer foundation is a leader in innovative workforce solutions for returning citizens. We are glad to be here today to learn from their efforts and the great work at Johns Hopkins,” said Barr.

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.