Prairie State Wire

Following a competitive grant process, the administration of Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) have announced two Health Equity Zone (HEZ) grants aimed at addressing historic health disparities in McDonough and Winnebago counties.

In McDonough County, located in Western Illinois, the Henderson County Rural Health Center has received $113,873. This funding will support collaboration with Western Illinois University, the McDonough County Public Health Department, the Western Illinois Regional Council, as well as various nonprofits and faith-based organizations. The goal is to establish a health equity zone focused on improving health outcomes related to obesity, sexually transmitted infections, and mental health.

The Winnebago County Health Department has been awarded $118,000. This grant will facilitate the expansion of its Community of Concern (COC) workgroup to tackle mental and behavioral health disparities affecting a vulnerable community area in Rockford. In partnership with other community groups, the COC aims to enhance mental health through prevention and early intervention strategies such as increasing access to self-care resources, reducing stigma associated with mental health conditions, and fostering community resilience.

“IDPH continues to prioritize new and innovative ways to invest in our communities,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “At its core, public health is about communities, and we are excited to see the innovative approaches McDonough and Winnebago Counties are taking to address historic health disparities. Our Healthy Illinois 2028 State Health Improvement Plan is focused on working to grow more local cross-sector solutions to address our public health challenges. IDPH looks forward to applying the lessons learned in this pilot program to future initiatives all across Illinois.”

The HEZ program receives funding from the General Assembly and stems from the department’s Healthy Illinois 2028 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) and State Health Assessment (SHA). These plans emphasize addressing racism as a public health crisis among their key priorities. The initiative is led by IDPH in collaboration with the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health.

“IDPH is proud to support these innovative, locally led Health Equity Zone pilot projects,” stated IDPH Assistant Director Dr. Janice Phillips. “Through the HEZ program, we are supporting our local partners in McDonough and Winnebago counties, the people who know their communities best and have the knowledge and creativity to devise meaningful interventions that can have a measurable impact on the health disparities they face.”

"Henderson County Rural Health Center is so excited for the opportunity to impact the lives of McDonough County residents,” expressed Jennifer Lehman, grant manager for Eagle View Community Health System. “Through a collaborative effort, we can bring about great changes!"

Dr. Sandra Martell, Public Health Administrator for the Winnebago County Health Department commented: “We are excited for the opportunity to address mental and behavioral health through a public health lens and improve health equity in our community.”

The Healthy Illinois 2028 plan was released at the beginning of 2024 as a framework for enhancing public health infrastructure with an emphasis on equitable access to care for all residents of Illinois. The State Health Assessment identified five major priorities over five years: racism as a public health crisis; chronic disease; COVID-19 and emerging diseases; maternal and infant health; along with mental health and substance use disorder.