Shannon McCall

Shannon McCall is a Lead Community Outreach Specialist who works with schools, agencies and community members providing programming and developing strategies that promote healthy lifestyles. Shannon has over 20 years of classroom teaching experience, with 15 years spent in hospital based community health, developing, identifying and implementing health promotion and disease prevention programs. Shannon knows that by creating sustainable programs that increase health literacy and build a culture of wellness that engages all stakeholders, including students, parents, teachers, community members, administrators, and/or community leaders, programs will grow and be successful.

Shannon has brought a variety of programs to Northwestern Medicine that help to address various identified community health needs. Shannon employs the CATCH Early Childhood and CATCH Kids Club programs in 22 schools/park districts to prevent childhood obesity and promote proper nutrition and fitness. She also coordinates the Mental Health First Aid for Adults and Mental Health First Aid for Youth programs to reduce stigma associated with mental health problems and crisis. She also developed the Healthy Initiatives  program for the underserved at the Delnor Hospital Vaccine Clinic for Children that provides age specific education to parents about child growth, development and safety. Shannon also helped to develop and facilitate the tobacco cessation programs offered by Northwestern Medicine, Central DuPage Hospital and Delnor Hospital. In addition, Shannon is a member of the Injury Prevention Team and teaches the ThinkFirst for Kids injury prevention program.

Shannon is a licensed teacher in Illinois (6 through 12^th grade), certified Train the Trainer for CATCH Early Childhood and CATCH Kids Club, a certified Mental Health First Aid Program Instructor and Coordinator, and a certified Freedom From Smoking Tobacco Cessation program facilitator. In 2010 she received the Kane County Hidden Hero award for dedication to community health education. Shannon holds a BS in health education with minors in psychology and physical education from Illinois State University.