 |
|
For Immediate Release
Date: January 24, 2017
Contact: Leslie Piotrowski
(847) 377-8055
Hannah Goering
(847) 377-8099
|
(Lake County, IL January 24, 2017) What will it take for Lake County, Illinois to become one of
the healthiest places in the country in which to live, work and play? This is a question that the Lake County
Health Department/Community Health Center (LCHD/CHC) and a number of Lake
County leaders talked through as a major focus of the Together Summit
today. The event was hosted by 20
co-sponsor organizations and included members of the County Board, Board of
Health, city and village administrators, as well as more than 200 other leaders
from hospital/health systems, higher education institutions, park districts,
community based organizations, and faith communities, all focused on learning
and discussing how to collectively improve the health and quality of life of
Lake County residents.
“There are many
organizations in this county dedicated to improving health and quality of life for
our residents,” said Mark Pfister, the Health Department’s Interim Executive
Director and Director of Prevention. "Ensuring Lake
County has a great quality of life takes everyone working together. The Health Department is launching this
initiative to show the important connections our work to improve health
outcomes has on the success of our students, workforce, economy and overall quality
of life.”
Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor said, "The issue of public
health isn't just for doctors and nurses to worry about. Whether you are a
businessman, teacher, mayor, pastor or parent - we all have a critical role to
play. Businesses can't grow their top line when sick leave, reduced
worker productivity and higher insurance premiums are decreasing their bottom
line. Students who are frequently home sick can't learn effectively, and
families who can’t access a local grocery store often fill their fridge with
unhealthy and expensive food items that can lead to diabetes and heart disease.
When there is better integration of public health strategies with economic
development, justice, housing and other priorities, we can maximize outcomes. There's a lot we can do individually, but we can get a lot more done
together!"
Tyler Norris, the new Chief Executive Officer of the
Institute for Mental Health and Wellness and the former Vice President of Total
Health with Kaiser Permanente, appealed to Together Summit participants to
understand that it takes all of us working together, across all of our sectors
in the community, to really promote and assure health across social and
economic barriers that people and communities face. Norris stated, “Since
most of what actually creates health exists outside of the health care delivery
system, the role of leadership is not as simple as allocating staff and
financial resources to care services. Effective
healthy community leaders must design and implement community processes that
result in economic, socio-cultural and environmental changes that are conducive
to creating health in the first place.”
This call to the
coordination of leadership, strategies, and investments was a critical part of
the Together Summit message.
LCHD/CHC staff,
including Health Equity Coordinator Jon Ashworth, presented the identified priority
health issues of Lake County, emphasizing the barriers residents face to being
and staying healthy. He also spoke of the
2016-2021 Community Health Improvement Plan, which was based on a countywide
assessment and guided by the Live Well Lake County Steering Committee. This committee guides the community health
assessment process, prioritizes community issues, and collaborates with members
and non-members to take action and improve the overall health and quality of
life of all residents in Lake County.
Specific community
health improvement initiatives and the power of collective impact were
discussed. Lea Bacci, the Health Department’s Assistant Prevention Coordinator,
discussed an example of a policy initiative being introduced across Lake County
to increase the minimum age of tobacco sales to 21. The goal of Tobacco 21
policies is to help reduce the #1 cause of preventable death, cardiovascular
disease from smoking. Delaying the onset
of smoking prevents long-term smokers. Ninety-five percent of adult smokers
began before the age of 21. Adam Carson,
the Health Department’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, discussed a
framework to engage whole communities in active living. He emphasized that it’s
imperative for communities to examine their walkability both in design and
safety. Aaron Lawlor, Lake County Board Chairman, discussed actions being taken
to build Lake County’s behavioral health capacity and infrastructure to meet
the needs of those with poor mental health and substance abuse.
The Together Summit ended with an opportunity for participants to share
input regarding which community health improvement initiatives they would like
to join. Based on a survey of participants, 98% of survey respondents
expressed that they want to be part of at least one of the following Lake
County community health improvement initiatives:
•
Tobacco 21
•
Walking initiatives
•
Building behavioral health capacity and infrastructure
To learn how to get involved with improvement activities in Lake County through
Live Well Lake County, please email: TogetherSummit@lakecountyil.gov or visit www.LiveWellLakeCounty.org. Please Note: The Together Summit
is not the Lake County Leaders Summit, which is hosted by Chairman Aaron Lawlor
and the County Board annually and will take place in May 2017.
| 
