Prairie State Wire

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has announced a call for proposals from local health departments and community organizations to participate in a Health Equity Zone (HEZ) pilot project. The initiative aims to tackle health disparities through innovative practices within specific geographic areas. Interested parties have until December 3 to apply for grants up to $500,000.

Funded by a $1 million allocation from the General Assembly, the HEZ program is part of the Healthy Illinois 2028 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) and State Health Assessment (SHA). These plans prioritize addressing racism as a public health crisis. The IDPH leads this effort with support from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health.

"Public health, at its core, is about the health of communities," stated IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. "IDPH is excited to partner with our local leaders to create innovative, cross-sector, community-led solutions to address health disparities and improve outcomes."

Two projects will be selected for funding and provided with technical assistance to aid multi-sector collaborations in developing public health solutions targeting significant health inequities in defined areas. Proposals should involve two or more service sectors such as healthcare, education, housing, labor, social services, among others.

"While we know that health disparities have persisted for far too long, the COVID-19 pandemic brought home the stark impact of these historic inequities through higher rates of deaths and hospitalizations," said IDPH Assistant Director Dr. Janice Phillips. "Through the HEZ program, we are looking to tap the knowledge and creativity of our local partners...The goal is to develop focused interventions that will have a meaningful and measurable impact on people’s health and well-being."

Eligible applicants include local health departments or organizations capable of leading an HEZ project through intervention development and implementation tailored to their community's needs. Projects must align with priorities outlined in SHIP or other local plans like IPLAN.

The Healthy Illinois 2028 plan was released earlier this year as a guide for improving equitable access to care across Illinois. It identifies five key priorities: racism as a public health crisis, chronic disease, COVID-19 and emerging diseases, maternal and infant health, mental health and substance use disorder.

Further details on the HEZ grant opportunity can be found on the IDPH Grants page.