Longtime Chicago healthcare activist C. Michael Savage died June 24 in a whitewater rafting accident in Alaska. He was 51. Savage crossed many borders in the community, as a member of Dignity Chicago, the gay Catholic group, and the community group United Power for Action and Justice. Ater working on AIDS and gay issues in Chicago, Savage moved to Boston to become executive director of Fenway Community Health Center. He founded a Massachusetts state project that doubled HIV funding. Returning to Chicago, he took over the helm of the Access Community Health Network, turning it into the largest healthcare group of its kind in the country. Access provides services to low-income and uninsured residents in the Chicago area. Savage also had worked for other agencies, such as Heartland Alliance and the United Neighborhood Organization. He was also part of Stand Against Cancer, a campaign to provide poor women with cervical cancer screenings. ‘Mike dedicated his life to helping others,’ said Rogelio Lopez, president of the Access board. ‘He will be deeply missed by his colleagues, our patients and by everyone who had the benefit of knowing him.’ Savage is survived by his partner of 15 years, Andy Swan; mother Maureen, sister Cindy Osowski, and brother Chuck.