IDPH submits proposals to improve public health
The Department of Public Health recently submitted two reports to lawmakers identifying the biggest public health issues in Illinois.
The State Health Assessment and the State Health Improvement Plan will help form the basis of a five-year plan to address the top public health challenges facing Illinois communities, according to department Director Dr. Sameer Vohra.
“These documents will serve as a blueprint for building a more responsive public health infrastructure aimed at improving equitable access to care and health outcomes for all Illinois’s residents,” he said.
The assessment highlighted five issues, while the improvement plan laid out potential steps to address them. The issues were:
- Chronic diseases
- COVID-19 and other emerging diseases
- Maternal and infant health
- Mental health and substance use disorder
- Racism as a public health crisis
The reports were developed in conjunction with the Illinois Public Health Institute and the University of Illinois Chicago Policy, Practice and Prevention Research Center. Input was received last fall during three public hearings.
The state said they will spend the next year working with partners to develop strategies to achieve these objectives and establish timelines for implementing each goal within the five major priority areas.
