Pregnancy and infant case management from Firman Community Services in Chicago
Firman Community Services helps pregnant women, new mothers, and infants on Chicago's South Side get connected to health care, benefits, and basic supplies at no cost to the family. The nonprofit runs a state-funded maternal and child health case management program along with a food pantry, a clothes closet, child care, and after-school programs. This plain-Eglish guide page explains what each service may provide. It covers who tends to qualify, and what the program is called now that Illinois has been reorganizing its maternal health services.
- NOTE: Firman Community Services was founded in 1872 and ranks among Chicago's oldest human service organizations, with its work now centered on children and families on the South Side - the main phone number is 773-373-3400.
What the case management program provides
Case managers work with women through pregnancy and with infants through their first year, helping families complete prenatal and postpartum care and stay on schedule with well-child visits and immunizations. Staff may help with finding a primary care doctor, enrolling in Medicaid and All Kids children's health coverage, applying for SNAP food benefits, and making WIC appointments.
Care plans, goal setting, and home visits are part of the model. In addition to that, families may be referred to other Chicago and Cook County organizations for needs the program does not cover. More detail on the government benefits involved is in our guide to public assistance offices in Chicago.
Material help may also be available to enrolled families. This may include emergency diapers, infant formula, CTA bus cards for medical appointments, gift items for new mothers, and a periodic women's support group. Availability of these extras depends on donations and current funding.
The program's name at the state level
Firman's program has long operated under the name Family Case Management, a statewide effort funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services to reduce infant mortality and connect pregnant women and babies to care. IDHS now groups Family Case Management with its Better Birth Outcomes and High-Risk Infant Follow-Up programs inside its Bureau of Maternal and Child Health. The state has been merging these into a single statewide structure. A family enrolling today may hear the service called family case management, maternal and child health case management, or Better Birth Outcomes depending on the funding year.
The main parts have stayed the same of what is offered: services are free, they focus on pregnant women and children under one, and enrollment happens through provider agencies such as Firman. Calling the agency directly settles which program a family fits under the current rules.
Who qualifies and how to enroll
The program serves pregnant women and infants in low-income households, and participation is closely tied to Medicaid eligibility, though staff confirm the current criteria at intake. Many participants are referred by hospitals, clinics, or WIC offices, and families can also call Firman directly at 773-373-3400 to ask about enrollment. The Chicago case management site is located at 4705 South State Street in the Grand Boulevard area.
Firman also operates a maternal and child health location in Rolling Meadows that serves families in northwest suburban Cook County, with current details on the agency's contact page. Classes for expectant parents, such as breastfeeding and Lamaze sessions, may be offered through the program as well.
Firman's food pantry and emergency services
The agency's emergency services program provides a food pantry, a clothes closet, and infant formula for babies up to one year old during periods of unemployment or personal crisis. Many clients are referred by state, city, and private social service agencies, and the pantry operates in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Groceries are distributed one day a week, and the current day, time, and location are posted on the Food Depository's listing at http://firmancs.org/programs_es.html for Firman.
The pantry's service area covers a defined section of the South Side, roughly from 22nd Street south to 95th Street and from Cottage Grove Avenue west to Western Avenue. Residents outside those boundaries can find other options through our list of food pantries in Chicago and Cook County.
Child care and after-school programs
Firman runs its Early Childhood Learning Center and a school-age program in the same building at 37 West 47th Street. The early learning center may offer child care and preschool education for young children, and the school-age program provides after-school care supported by 21st Century Community Learning Center funding. Enrollment options and tuition assistance change with funding cycles, so families need to call for current openings.
About Firman Community Services and how to reach them
The administrative office is at 144 West 47th Street, Chicago, IL 60609, and the main phone number for all programs is 773-373-3400, with general questions accepted at [email protected]. Addresses for each program site are listed on http://firmancs.org/.
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