Hyde Park Citizen 7-29-2020

Y O U R S O U R C E F O R C O R O N AV I R U S N E W S

Citizen The Citizen: Serving The Black Community For 55 Years Week of July 29, 2020

| Vol. 31 | No. 36 | www.citizennewspapergroup.com

HYDE PARK

Fred Spencer co-owns AYO Foods with his wife, Perteet Spencer. Photo courtesy of Fred and Perteet

Perteet Spencer co-owns AYO Foods with her husband, Fred Spencer. Photo courtesy of Fred and Perteet

Spencer/ AYO Foods

Spencer/ AYO Foods

AYO FOODS BRINGS WEST AFRICAN FLAVOR

Fred and Perteet Spencer wanted to share the avors of West Africa, so they created AYO Foods. The brand features West African dishes in single serve form that are available in the frozen foods section of the grocery store. PAGE 2

Small Business Program helps contractors involved in CTA Project

Clerk Dorothy Brown Adds Texting Service for Getting Next Court Dates

Study: Major Cities are Slow to Recover After Public Transit Usage Dropped 75% Amid COVID-19

Wellable Partners with Sweat Factor for On-Demand Fitness Classes

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2 | CITIZEN | Hyde Park | Week of July 29, 2020

NEWS briefly EDUCATION NATIONAL COLLEGE FED CHALLENGE TO BE HELD IN A VIRTUAL FORMAT IN 2020 The Federal Reserve Board, along with co-sponsoring Federal Reserve Banks and other regional partners recently announced that the National College Fed Challenge will be held in a virtual format in 2020. The new format will include a video submission, a virtual judged question and answer session, and a virtual event announcing the winners in November. The new format will allow schools outside current Fed Challenge districts to compete in a newly created at-large region.

Interested colleges and universities should see “College Fed Challenge 2020 Rules and Steps” on the Board’s website for details on how to enter the 2020 competition. The deadline to register for the competition is September 30, 2020.

College Fed Challenge, in its 17th year, is a team competition for undergraduate students. Teams analyze current economic and financial conditions and formulate a monetary policy recommendation, modeling the Federal Open Market Committee.

More information can be found on the Fed Challenge website at https://www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/ educational-tools/fedchallenge.htm

HEALTH

CDPH CONDUCTS A COMPREHENSIVE MOSQUITO SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL PROGRAM The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) has confirmed the first West Nile Virus (WNV)-positive mosquito batch in the city for 2020. CDPH will continue to monitor the area where the mosquito batch tested positive. Following additional tests, CDPH will determine the appropriate next steps to be taken. No human cases of WNV have been reported to date in 2020.

CDPH began its annual mosquito control activities on May 26th. This includes treating 40,000 catch basins in Chicago with larvicide, which kills immature mosquitoes and is the most effective control strategy. In addition, CDPH places up to 83 traps throughout the city and tests mosquito samples every week. This information guides CDPH’s efforts throughout the season, allowing teams to respond quickly in specific geographic areas to further reduce risks through neighborhood outreach and spraying.

The most effective way to prevent infection from WNV and other mosquito-borne diseases is to reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and avoid mosquito bites. Residents are encouraged to take personal precautions against mosquitoes.

For more information about mosquito-borne diseases, including symptoms and prevention, visit www.chicago.gov/health.

Call 311 to report standing water, dead birds or high grass/weeds.

LAW & POLITICS

OJJDP RELEASES 2019 ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention recently released its 2019 Annual Report to Congress. The report describes programs and activities that OJJDP carried out in fiscal year 2019.

OJJDP awarded more than $323 million to fund programs, research, training and technical assistance, and information dissemination activities that enhance public safety, ensure juvenile offenders are held appropriately accountable, and that empower youth to live productive, law-abiding lives.

“OJJDP continues to stay focused on issues of national concern. We work with communities plagued by gang and gun violence, as well as neighborhoods affected by drug abuse,” said Caren Harp, OJJDP Administrator. “We pursue better methods to protect children who are abused, exploited, or exposed to violence — and to inspire young people who need positive adult mentors. When young people are empowered to live up to their potential, our communities become stronger and safer places in which to live and learn.”

Fred and Perteet Spencer started AYO Foods because they wanted to share West African flavors and cuisine with others. The dishes are available in the frozen foods section at Green Grocer. Photo courtesy of Fred and Perteet Spencer/ AYO Foods

AYO Foods brings West African flavor Continued from page 1

BY TIA CAROL JONES

Fred and Perteet Spencer wanted to share the flavors of West Africa, so they created AYO Foods. The brand features West African dishes in single serve form that are available in the frozen foods section of the grocery store.

Perteet’s father is Liberian and she has spent years in the consumer package space.

“These represent a lot of the dishes we grew up eating in our family,” she said.

“We’re very central to my upbringing.”

Perteet said with the significant growth of ethnic items in the frozen food space, they saw an opportunity to bring her family’s recipes to the market.

Perteet’s father also owns a wholesale business where some of the ingredients for the dishes are imported from West Africa.

“As we were looking at the process of him importing these foods and with Perteet’s background in CPG (consumer packaging goods), particularly General Mills, we started having those conversations about potentially doing West African cuisine in the frozen foods section at that time,” Fred said.

Fred said as the market improved in the frozen food space, they felt the timing was right to strike out with the brand.

The dishes cost $5.99 and three of the dishes, including Jollof Rice, Egusi Melon Soup and Cassava Leaf Stew, are currently available for purchase at Green Grocer, located on 1402 W. Grand Ave. “We fully acknowledge that West Africa is a region and not a country.

And so, we wanted to identify dishes that would resonate across that region.

AYO Foods offers three dishes: Jollof Rice, Egusi Melon Soup and Cassava Leaf Stew. Fred and Perteet Spencer wanted to bring these dishes because they reflect the West African region. Photo courtesy of Fred and Perteet Spencer/ AYO Foods

Also, [we wanted to] represent dishes that were very central to our family,” Perteet said.

Perteet said all of the dishes do that.

She said that Cassava Leaf is a dish her family is very fond of and they have it on every single holiday. The dish is Liberian, while the Egusi and Jollof Rice are popular in countries across West Africa.

“We know Jollof Rice is one that is very dear to most West Africans. It’s the one that’s the most controversial when it comes to which country makes it the best. So, we just decided that would translate across,” Fred said.

Ayo Foods was picked up by Whole Foods. It is available in the Southern region now. Perteet said it was an incredible feeling to get picked up by Whole Foods.

“I’ve worked in consumer-packaged goods for most of my career and Whole Foods really epitomizes one of the

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accounts that I think many retailers look up to because they tend to be very on trend. To have, as our first account, such a well-respected retailer, means a lot to us, personally, but we also think it’s a really good marker for the potential for this platform more broadly,” Perteet said.

Fred said they sent Whole Foods the samples and the response was overwhelmingly positive right away. And, while they would have wanted to start in the Chicago area first, the Whole Foods marketing strategy is to start in the South. They are also partnering with other independent and regional grocers. They said it is important to have retail in the communities they live in.

“Fred and I have been trying to build this business and so we’ve got a lot of experience in this space for over a year and a half because we wanted to be really thoughtful about doing it the right way,” Perteet said.

Fred said there was a lot of flying around the country to find a co-manufacturer that would take a chance to develop the product and Perteet wanted to make sure the dishes were produced to their standards.

“Doing it in a way that’s authentic and high quality, is of utmost importance to us and so we’re surrounding ourselves with partners who share those same values,” she said. Perteet added, when you share a part of yourself, “it’s always exciting to see people embrace that.”

The response has been overwhelmingly positive, she said. “We’re really excited for more people to experience a part of our culture.”

For more information about AYO Foods, visit www.ayo-foods.com.

CITIZEN | Hyde Park | Week of July 29, 2020

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NEWS

Pritzker Administration Announces Over $2 million in Fines for Major Health Insurance Companies Violating Illinois Mental Health Parity Laws The Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) recently announced fines totaling over $2 million for five major health insurance companies found to be in violation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA).

The Act is a federal law mandating that health insurance plans must have equivalent levels of coverage for mental health and substance use disorder care as for medical or surgical care; Illinois law further expanded those requirements.

The unprecedented fines for the five major health insurance companies build on the administration’s efforts to ensure parity for Illinoisans seeking treatment for mental health and substance use disorder.

“These fines are a reminder to health insurance companies that my administration is committed to providing the best standard of care for Illinoisans and will protect their right to equitable treatment from health insurance providers,” said Governor Pritzker. “Seeking treatment for mental health or a substance use

disorder is a brave step that should not be met by unnecessary roadblocks and hurdles. We will continue to lead by example and help move the country forward in achieving mental health and substance use disorder parity.”

Market conduct examinations performed by IDOI from 2015-2017 show that CIGNA, UnitedHealthcare, HCSC (parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield) and Celtic had violations that resulted in the following fines according to a press release: • CIGNA Healthcare of IL paid the highest fine of $582,000 for failing to use medical necessity guidelines required by statute and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), and not allowing providers to request an exception to the company’s step therapy requirement for prescriptions.

• UnitedHealthcare paid $550,000 for four violations, including failing to use ASAM guidelines, requiring prior authorization from the company before a provider can prescribe the patient Buprenorphine to help fight

substance use disorder, and requiring prior authorization for prescribing certain ADHD medications.

• CIGNA Health and Life paid $418,000 for violating ASAM guidelines and imposing step therapy for drugs used to treat depression.

• HCSC paid $325,000 for requiring prior authorization from the company before a provider could prescribe the patient Buprenorphine to help fight substance use disorder.

• Celtic paid $208,000 for failing to perform proper internal testing to confirm that all plans are in parity.

Illinois is a national leader for mental health parity and has received an ‘A’ grade (100/100) on the Federal Parity Law compliance test.

The assessment is based on the ‘Evaluating State Mental Health and Addiction Parity Statutes’ jointly released by the Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity, The Kennedy Forum, The Carter Center, and Well Being Trust (WBT) Center.

In 2018, IDOI successfully changed the es-

Small Business Program helps contractors involved in CTA Project

sential health benefits of plans sold on the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace, requiring insurance companies to remove barriers for people seeking treatment for opioid use disorders.

IDOI was the first state insurance department to administer targeted mental health market conduct exams for companies selling plans on the ACA Marketplace.

Targeted exams focus on a specific issue within the company’s operations, and comprehensive exams have a larger scope including complaints, claims practices, rating of policies, underwriting of policies for acceptability, and marketing for all areas of the company’s operations. All five companies found to be in violation of the law have agreed to take corrective action based on the exam findings, and the Department will conduct follow up exams to ensure the companies remain in compliance.

The Market Conduct Examination Reports can be found online at https://insurance. illinois.gov/MarketConductExam/marketConductExamLH.html

BY TIA CAROL JONES

Clerk Dorothy Brown Adds Texting Service for Getting Next Court Dates

CTA has partnered with Walsh-Fluor and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Chicago to create a Building Small Business Program that helps contractors interested in working on the Red and Purple Modernization Phase (RPM) One Project.

The CTA Building Small Business Program (SBP) aims to provide financial and technical support to small businesses that are certified disadvantaged business enterprises, or DBEs. DBE’s include businesses that are at least 51 percent owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.

JuanPablo Prieto is the director and disadvantaged business enterprises liaison officer of CTA diversity programs.

Prieto said the aim is to assist small firms to increase their financial capacity and access to working capital, equipment loans and other financial resources. “We look to connect small businesses with financial resources they need to participate on the RPM Phase One Project and not only participate, but [to] grow their firms financially,” he said.

Prieto said 91 firms have attended the workshop portion of the program and 76 have completed the one-on-one sessions with a banking professional. He said the program has helped firms get $4.1 million in financing which includes Payment Protection Plan and Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds through the Small Business Administration due to COVID-19.

Prieto added the SBP program is targeted to construction and construction related companies because that is where the opportunities exist.

Companies that are interested attend workshops and learn about maximizing capital, equipment and real estate, as well as how to get more capital and how to increase cash flow.

The companies go into a one-on-one session with a banking professional, who goes through the company’s profile to see what assets exist. The banking professional also assists with a path towards gaining more working capital.

“Some firms might need to purchase another piece of equipment to expand their scope. Say they do drywall and they want to get into masonry, but they need a set of equip-

Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, IL, recently announced that due to the many changes in court dates, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and recognizing that some people may not have access to a computer, the public may now obtain up-to-date court hearing dates by text.

The Clerk’s Office has released a series of texting-only activated telephone numbers, covering each area of court operations, for the public to text requests for next court dates.

In addition, the Clerk’s Office offers specific email addresses for the public to email to obtain court dates. The text numbers and email addresses are found on the Clerk’s Office’s website at www. cookcountyclerkofcourt.org and are being distributed to the public through media announcements and posters/flyers.

Using the phone number or the email address, a text or email message can be sent to the appropriate division, district or department to request a next court date. Users text or email their case number, or, if they do not have their case number, they can text the Plaintiff or Defendant’s name for civil case types, or the Defendant’s name and birthdate for a criminal case.

Individuals who are unsure of

The CTA Building Small Business Program provides small businesses with a banking professional who assists with asset procurement. Banking professionals also help businesses attain more working capital. Photo courtesy of CTA

ment to do that, he [the banking professional] can help set them up with an equipment loan [so] they can purchase whatever they need to start competing in different types of work,” Prieto explained.

Prieto said the RPM contract was awarded at the end of 2017. In fall 2019, ground broke on the project. Prieto added, it will take four to five years before the project is completed.

The goal of the project is to rebuild and modernize the North portion of the CTA Red Line and to build a Red-Purple Bypass so those lines can keep running while the Brown line goes west.

Prieto said that because of the size and scope of the project, it allows the CTA to hire more individuals and contractors to work on it. He said the CTA always strives to make sure those contractors and individuals working on the project reflect the community that CTA serves.

“The partnership between CTA, Walsh-Fluor and (LISC) Chicago is what makes this unique,” Prieto said. “We have the public organization, private contractor and the non-for-profit to really understand the needs of small businesses and have the resources to address those needs as best that we can.” www.citizennewspapergroup.com

when their next court hearings are scheduled can easily use the Clerk’s Office text and email services to quickly learn their next court dates.

The Clerk’s Office also provides other channels for the public to get accurate court hearing dates, including telephone numbers, a FREE MOBILE APP, COURT CLERK MOBILE CONNECT, and the online case docket search on the Clerk’s Office’s website (www. cookcountyclerkofcourt.org).

Criminal case information is not on the website nor on the Mobile App for the public to access at this time, but the Clerk’s Office is working to add it to the website.

Defendants should contact their Public Defender or Private Attorney for their next Criminal court date, while attorneys should register to use the CCC Portal for Illinois Licensed Attorneys to get Criminal case information.

“It is vitally important to continue to provide convenient access to justice for the public under current COVID-19 social-distancing restrictions,” Clerk Brown pointed out. “We want all court users to know that the Clerk’s Office is easily accessible online, by text or email, telephone and via our mobile app, to help them obtain information on their court cases and court hearing dates.”

4 | CITIZEN | Hyde Park | Week of July 29, 2020

BUSINESS

Tech Job Gains Confirm Pockets of Strength in Recovering Labor Market The two components of information technology (IT) employment – industry and occupation – each showed signs of an improving labor market, according to an analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics #JobsReport by CompTIA, the nonprofit trade association for the global tech industry.

While overall tech industry employment showed a slight decline of 5,600 jobs, three of five sectors experienced positive gains. Tech manufacturing led the way with a net increase of 7,300 jobs, covering both technical and non-technical positions.

On the tech occupation front, IT jobs across all industry sectors of the

economy increased by an estimated 227,000 positions. Through the first half of the year, tech occupation employment increased in five of the six months.

“The latest employment data for tech was generally positive, with continuing signs of momentum,” said Tim Herbert, executive vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA. “While uncertainty is still a major concern, the forward-looking employer job posting figures suggest hiring will accelerate in areas such as software development, IT support, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and certain emerging tech fields.”

In addition to tech manufacturing, the other industry sectors that

experienced jobs gains for the month include data processing, hosting and related services (+ 5,600) and the other information services category, which includes search engines and portals (+ 2,200).

The IT services and custom software development segment lagged, with an estimated loss of 20,400 positions. The telecommunications sector also continued its downward slide, with a net loss of 300 jobs.

“Because the IT services and custom software development segment is dominated by small firms, they tend to be more sensitive to disruptions in customer spending,” said Herbert. “As the broad small business market

“While uncertainty is still a major concern, the forward-looking employer job posting figures suggest hiring will accelerate in areas such as software development, IT support, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and certain emerging tech fields,” said Tim Herbert, executive vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA.

recovers, we expect hiring will resume among IT services and customer software development firms.”

Wells Fargo Names Kristy Fercho to Lead Home Lending Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: Housing Council, and a member of WFC) recently announced that Kristy its Residential Board of Governors.

Fercho will join the company at the She also serves on the boards of beginning of August as the new head City Year and the Detroit Zoological of Wells Fargo Home Lending.

Society. Her industry accolades Fercho has 18 years of leadership include MReport honoring her as experience in the mortgage industry one of the Top Women in Housing, and will replace Michael DeVito, who Diversity Journal listing her among has announced plans to retire after its Women Worth Watching, more than 23 years with Wells Fargo.

National Mortgage Professional Fercho will join the company Magazine naming her to its list of from Flagstar Bank, where she has Most Powerful Women, and the served since 2017 as president of the Michigan Chronicle selecting her for company’s mortgage division. its Women of Excellence recognition.

Under Fercho’s leadership, the DeVito’s retirement comes after a mortgage business flourished, financial services career that spans expanding to over 87 retail more than 30 years, including 23 home lending centers and 2,300 at Wells Fargo. He was selected to correspondent and broker lead Wells Fargo Home Lending relationships. Prior to joining in January 2018 after serving as Flagstar, she spent 15 years with head of mortgage production for Fannie Mae, where she led the the company and previously ran its strategy and business performance mortgage servicing operations. of single-family customers in the DeVito also was head of western United States and also served Education Financial Services for Kristy Fercho, new head of Wells Fargo Home Lending in customer engagement and human nearly three years and led retail Photo: Business Wire resources roles. fulfillment for Home Lending.

Fercho began her career and served Previously, he was a leader in Home in a variety of sales, operations, and human at Wells Fargo. “Buying a home remains Lending’s early e-business initiatives and resources roles at Baxter International before one of the most important financial managed retail home equity. moving to Pepsico Inc., where she ultimately decisions our customers will make in their “Michael has always been an active was director of worldwide corporate human lifetime, and Kristy is the right person to advocate for his teams, our customers, resources. help us ensure that no one can do it better our industry, and the communities “Kristy is a customer-first business for them than Wells Fargo.” where we work,” stated Weinbach. “I am leader with deep home lending experience.

Fercho currently serves as vice chair exceptionally grateful for his dedication She has been an inspiring and vocal leader of the board of the Mortgage Bankers to doing what’s right for our customers across the mortgage industry while driving Association, vice chair of the MBA’s and his passion for helping people become transformational growth at Flagstar,” said Diversity and Inclusion Advisory homeowners, and wish him all the best in Mike Weinbach, CEO of consumer lending Committee, co-chair of the Affordable his retirement.” www.citizennewspapergroup.com

The CompTIA IT Employment Tracker is available at https://www. slideshare.net/comptia/comptia-itemployment-tracker-july-2020.

Study: Major Cities are Slow to Recover After Public Transit Usage Dropped 75% Amid COVID-19 For those who depend on public transit, severe drops in ridership can be detrimental. With fewer riders comes limited scheduling and days where public transit may not run at all. For the busy metropolises on ValuePenguin’s list, that could mean fewer people are able to get out to grocery stores or medical facilities.

ValuePenguin examined bus, subway, and train ridership in the top 10 major cities across the country, and even as major cities like New York City and Seattle open up, transit usage has recovered more slowly in those cities than in others.

Key findings: Transit usage plummeted 75% nationwide in March, and only reached 49% of pre-coronavirus usage rates as of July 1.

Cities hit with earlier COVID-19 outbreaks have had bigger drops and slower recoveries than those cities hit later.

Transit usage is recovering more slowly than other modes of transport: Walking and driving are both well over 100% of pre-coronavirus levels nationwide, though not all cities are recovering at equal rates.

Cities ranked by biggest drops in transit ridership post-coronavirus: Seattle New York City San Francisco - Bay Area Washington DC Boston Chicago Los Angeles Philadelphia Denver Atlanta To view the full report, visit: https://www.valuepenguin. com/2020/07/transit-usage-drop-during-covid-19

CITIZEN | Hyde Park | Week of July 29, 2020

CITIZEN On The Move

Gone Too Soon

Hosted By Gyrls In The H.O.O.D. Foundation X This Is Life A Tribute To The children Killed In Our communities By Gun Violence Photo by L.M. Warbington

Our communities are suffering with grief and frustration and we intend to allow residents a healing space to vent, release, and receive grief counseling services.

Gyrls In The H.O.O.D. Foundation X recent event allowed community members the opportunity to share their stories and frustrations through positive expressions.

Hopewell M.B. Church Provide Much Needed Services To The Community

To See more photos from these events and more visit our Gallery at www.citizennewspapergroup.com

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6 | CITIZEN | Hyde Park | Week of July 29, 2020

FASHION

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU FAST FOR WEIGHT LOSS? Two daily fasting diets, also known as timerestricted feeding diets, are effective for weight loss, according to a new study published by researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The study reported results from a clinical trial that compared a 4-hour timerestricted feeding diet and a 6-hour time-restricted feeding diet to a control group.

“This is the first human clinical trial to compare the effects of two popular forms of time-restricted feeding on body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors,” said Krista Varady, professor of nutrition at the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences and corresponding author of the story.

Participants in the 4-hour time-restricted feeding diet group were asked to eat only between the hours of 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Participants in the 6-hour time-restricted feeding diet group were asked to eat only between the hours of 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

In both the study groups, patients were allowed to eat whatever they wanted during the 4-hour or 6-hour eating period. During the fasting hours, participants were directed to only drink water or calorie-free beverages.

In the control group, participants were directed to maintain their weight and not change their diet or

Two daily fasting diets, also known as time-restricted feeding diets, are effective for weight loss, according to a new study.

physical activity levels.

The participants were followed for 10 weeks as weight, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, HDL

cholesterol, triglycerides and inflammatory markers were tracked.

The study, published in Cell Metabolism, found that participants in both daily fasting groups reduced

calorie intake by about 550 calories each day simply by adhering to the schedule and lost about 3% of their body weight. The researchers also found that insulin resistance and oxidative stress levels

were reduced among participants in the study groups when compared with the control group. There was no effect on blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol or triglycerides.

There also was no significant difference in weight loss or cardiometabolic risk factors between the 4-hour and 6-hour diet groups.

“The findings of this study are promising and reinforce what we’ve seen in other studies — fasting diets are a viable option for people who want to lose weight, especially for people who do not want to count calories or find other diets to be fatiguing,” Varady said. “It’s also telling that there was no added weight loss benefit for people who sustained a longer fast — until we have further studies that directly compare the two diets or seek to study the optimal time for fasting, these results suggest that the 6-hour fast might make sense for most people who want to pursue a daily fasting diet.”

Varady and her colleagues also reported that there were no major adverse health events reported by study participants during the study and that the mild adverse events — such as dizziness or headaches — were limited to the beginning of the trial.

Co-authors on the study are UIC’s Sofia Cienfuegos, Kelsey Gabel, Faiza Kalam, Mark Ezpeleta, Eric Wiseman, Vasiliki Pavlou, Shuhao Lin and Manoela Lima Oliveira. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01DK119783)

Wellable Partners with Sweat Factor for On-Demand Fitness Classes Wellable, a leading employee wellness technology and services provider, is partnering with Sweat Factor to help employers better address their employee well-being needs, especially with challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The partnership will allow Wellable customers to access the Sweat Factor library of on-demand fitness classes.

Resulting from shutdowns of nonessential workspaces and closings and capacity limits on gyms, employers are looking to their wellness partners to help them provide employees with

the resources to stay active.

Through Sweat Factor, top trainers from across the globe deliver exclusive content for all fitness levels.

There are more than 300 classes to choose from, with new content being added each month.

Class categories include Pilates, yoga, Barre, boot camps, and more as well as address a wide range of goals (strength, cardio, prenatal, etc.) and areas of focus (core, upper body, lower body, etc.).

“As a provider of wellness services, we recognized the void created by employers no longer being

able to offer fitness classes to their employees. This was exacerbated by the closing of gyms,” said Nick Patel, president of Wellable. “This is why we wanted to offer a solution to the problem. Our clients can now provide their employees with a wide array of on-demand classes to stay physically active from their home and without a gym.”

The partnership will allow Sweat Factor to expand its reach into www.citizennewspapergroup.com

employee well-being programs, helping even more people reach their physical fitness goals.

“I am so glad to be partnering with a company that has such a strong track record in delivering success for employers across the country,” said Mike Donavanik, president of Sweat Factor. “I am looking forward to growing our library of exclusive content and helping employers improve the health and well-being of their employees alongside a great partner.”

Wellable works with employers, health plans, and properties of all

sizes across the world, with active users in more than 23 different countries. Visit Wellable online at www.wellable.co.

Sweat Factor provides a library of more than 400 on-demand, at-home workouts through internationally recognized trainers like Mike Donavanik, Anja Garcia, Gideon Akande, Sarah Kusch, Betina Gozo, Ashley Joi, Kenta Seki, and more.

Classes can be watched on a Mac/ PC or from a Sweat Factor app on iPhone, Android, Roku, or Apple TV. For more information, visit www. sweatfactor.com

CITIZEN | Hyde Park | Week of July 29, 2020

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Certified Professionals.

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2. Surveyor's work 3. Excellent 4. Pen dweller 5. *"Don't worry 'bout a thing, 'cause every little thing is gonna be alright."

6. *"A martini. Shaken, not stirred."

7. Samantha of "Full Frontal" 8. Words to live by 9. Submarine sandwich 10. Climbed down 11. Potluck offering 12. *"It's a moo point" 15. Habituate, like a plant 20. Historical period 22. Tolkien humanoid 24. Global problem?

25. *"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood" 26. Coeur de ____ ____, "Titanic" 27. Embryo cradles 29. Well-behaved 31. Lice eggs 32. "Sesame Street" prominent architecture feature 33. Not right 34. *"Yo, Adrian!"

36. Give the cold shoulder 38. Bingo-like game 42. 1837 to 1901, to Queen Victoria 45. Ronald McDonald or Mickey Mouse 49. ____-di-dah 51. Hanukkah's eight 54. Must-haves 56. "Faster!" to a horse 57. Tea servings 58. Fishing decoy 59. Month before Nisan 60. Half a golf round 61. "____ ____Good Men" 62. Like the White Rabbit 63. Inviting sign 64. Like a hand-me-down 67. Baron Munchausen's statement

CHATHAM-SOUTHEAST

Chatham, Avalon Park, Park Manor, Greater Grand Crossing, Burnside, Chesterfield, West Chersterfield, South Shore,and Calumet Heitghts.

SOUTH END

Washington Heights, Roseland, Rosemoor, Englewood, West Englewood, Auburn-Gresham, Morgan Park, Maple Park, Mt. Vernon, Fernwood, Bellevue, Beverly, Pullman, West Pullman, West Pullman, Riverdale, Jeffrey Manor and Hegewisch.

SOUTH SUBURBAN Serves communities in Harvey, Markham, Phoenix, Robbins, Dixmoor, Calumet Park, Blue Island, South Holland, and Dolton. Shopping- their favorite pastime!

HYDE PARK

Lake Meadows, Oakland, Prairie Shores, Douglas, Grand Boulevard, Kenwood, Woodland, South Shore and Hyde Park.

CHICAGO WEEKEND

Chicago Westside Communities, Austin and Garfield Park

SUBURBAN TIMES WEEKLY Bloom Township, Chicago Heights, Flossmoor, Ford Heights, Glenwood, Homewood, Lansing ,Lynwood, Olympia Fileds, Park Forest, Sauk Village, South Chicago and Steger

Citizen Newspaper Group Inc., (CNGI), Publisher of the Chatham-Southeast, South End, Chicago Weekend, South Suburban and Hyde Park Citizen and Citizen Suburban Times Weekly. Our weekly publications are published on Wednesday’s (publishing 52 issues annually).

Written permission is required to reproduce contents in whole or in part from the publisher. Citizen Newspaper Group, Inc. does not assume the responsibility for nor are we able to return unsolicited materials, therefore they become property of the newspaper and can or will be discarded or used at the newspapers disgratation. Deadlines for advertising is every Friday at noon. Deadlines for press releases are Thursdays at 10 am prior to the next week’s edition. Please send information for the calendar at least three weeks prior to the event. Send to: editorial@citizennewspapergroup.com. For more information on subscriptions or advertising, call us at (773) 783-1251 or fax (872) 208-8793. Our offices are located at 8741 South Greenwood Suite# 107, Chicago, Illinois 60619.

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8 | CITIZEN | Hyde Park | Week of July 29, 2020

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