How connected someone feels within their community can directly impact their health. People with greater feelings of support and inclusion within their networks may live longer, respond better to stress and have stronger immune systems than those who are isolated from their communities.  

Through the Community Health Centers, the Lake County Health Department offers a broad spectrum of personal and community services directed at individuals and families of all races, genders, and ages who are unable to access the private medical sector. We provide our community with physical health, dental care, and behavioral health services through our Community Health Centers. Across these locations, our MAs, nurses, physicians, psychiatrist, counselors, clerks, dietitians, and nutritionists work with patients and clients to provide care, identify needs, and connect them to resources within the Health Department and the community. 

To learn more about the different services provided visit our Directory of Services.  

Mental health is important at every stage of life. It continuously affects how we think, feel and act. It also plays an important role in our physical and social well-being. In the U.S. alone, millions of Americans are affected by a mental illness. Anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders and depression are some of the most common. In fact, one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. 

Mental health plays a critical role in public health. Being a public health worker can come with various strenuous situations, high burnout rates, exhaustion, and stress. It is important to take care of yourself including your mental health, to be able to properly care for those that you serve.

To learn more about our Behavioral Health services, visit lakecountyil.gov/684.

Lake County is home to both urban and rural communities. When compared to people living in urban areas, rural Americans face a greater risk of death from the five leading causes of death — heart disease, cancer, injury, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke. Suicide rates are also higher in rural America. Poverty, transportation barriers, and lack of jobs can negatively impact health.  

The Lake County Health Department has Community Health Centers located throughout Lake County and does not turn away anyone based on their inability to pay. Telehealth can also expand access to quality healthcare for those who live in rural areas, which the Health Department has taken advantage of since the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Being accessible to all our community is extremely important. The Health Department makes it a priority to tailor our communication about information and resources to the needs of our community including languages, cultures, and formats. Our community is made up of many diverse races and ethnicities, but the two main languages spoken are English and Spanish. As a result, most of our materials are provided in both English and Spanish.  

Our Directory of Services provides our residents with information on the Health Department’s administrative, behavioral health, disease control, environmental health, prevention, and primary care services. Having the Directory of Services in both English and Spanish makes having the knowledge of the different services we offer more accessible to everyone that we serve. 

To check out our Directory of Services, visit lakecountyil.gov/2642.

Food and Nutrition plays a critical role in public health. At the Lake County Health Department we offer the Special Supplement Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children (WIC) to our community. The WIC Program provides nutrition education, healthcare referrals, breastfeeding support and an EBT card to purchase nutritious supplemental foods at no cost to eligible Lake County residents.  

To learn more about the WIC program, check out this video from our Nutrition Services/WIC Coordinator, Julie Krohn, our Senior Dietitian/Breastfeeding Coordinator, Courtney Adams, and our Nutrition Services / WIC Assistant Coordinator, Monica Wood.