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Politics & Government

Kane's Health Improvement Plan Points to 6 Major Threats to Community Health

Assessment also shows that Kane has the second-youngest population in the Chicago metropolitan area, and the largest proportion of Latino or Hispanic residents of all Illinois counties.

A Kane County health needs assessment has targeted six major threats to the community's overall health.

The assessment also reveals that the county has the second-youngest population in the collar counties and the highest proportion of the Hispanic population in the state.

At the same time, the fastest growing age group in Kane County is 45-to-64-year-olds, the assessment said.

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"So, our plan calls on the health system serving Kane residents to focus health improvement efforts across the life span and make sure that services are offered in ways that effectively reach our diverse community," said Paul Kuehnert, executive director of the Kane County Health Department.

The Kane County health assessment results pointed to six major threats to community health and well-being in Kane County at this time. They are:

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  • Obesity
  • Chronic disease
  • Infant mortality
  • Childhood lead poisoning
  • Communicable disease
  • Poor social and emotional wellness

The draft community health improvement plan identifies four cross-cutting priorities for health improvement to address these threats:

  1. Support health behaviors that promote well-being and prevent disease
  2. Increase access to high quality, holistic preventive and treatment services throughout the health care system
  3. Support and create health promoting neighborhoods, towns and cities
  4. Promote social, economic and educational environments that optimize health

Each priority can be addressed through implementation of one or more evidence-based strategies that are described in the health plan, the assessment concludes.

The recently reviewed the priorities for community health improvement that were recommended by the Public Health Advisory Committee and the Health Department’s leadership.

As part of the Department’s efforts to develop a new Community Health Improvement Plan, the board also reviewed a draft of the Health Department’s strategic plan. Both “roadmaps” will be crucial as the Health Department works to fulfill the vision of making Kane County residents the healthiest people in Illinois by 2030. 

The Health Department worked with partners from the county’s five hospitals, two United Ways and the INC Board. A comprehensive collection of health, economic and community data was assembled through a variety of methods. These included a phone survey of 2,000 residents, data sets from local, state and federal agencies, and input and feedback from nearly 250 residents through focus groups, community meetings and an online survey.

“As a result of our public-private partnership we were able to save resources for everyone and do more with the dollars we had," Kuehnert said. "There has never been a more comprehensive health assessment performed in Kane County. This is truly the community’s plan.”

You can find more detail about the assessment, Community Health Improvement Plan and the Strategic Plan, at www.kanehealth.com.

This information was courtesy of the Kane County Health Department.

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