History

Since 1916 The Children's Clinic, sponsored by the Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society, (OPRFIWS) has provided health services to children from infancy to age 18. The Infant Welfare Society’s role in the early years was to raise funds to provide clean milk to newborns and their mothers. From the “milk stations” in the early 1900’s, the focus has expanded to providing medical, dental and social services care that focuses on health promotion and disease prevention. 

Over the past five years, The Children's Clinic has experienced double-digit percentage increases in the number of patients served. While the original focus was to serve patients from Oak Park and River Forest, today the organization serves children from 50 Cook County west suburban communities and Chicago. The clinic provides more than 8,000 medical, dental and social service visits to more than 2,200 children. A child is never refused treatment for inability to pay.

Who we serve

Patients who receive our services reside primarily in Oak Park, Chicago, Berwyn, Cicero, Melrose Park, Forest Park, River Forest, Maywood, Franklin Park, Elmwood Park and 40 additional communities.

Nearly 82% of the clinic’s patients are served by Medicaid/All Kids. The balance of our patients contribute on a modest sliding fee scale.

Latino patients are the fastest growing population group at the clinic. The current patient population is 42 percent Hispanic, 39 percent African-American, 9 percent Caucasian, 3 percent Bi-Racial, 4 percent Asian Pacific Islander, and 3 percent who categorized themselves as other.