Chicago Department of Public Health

Chicago Department of Public Health
Department overview
Formed 1834 (1834)
Headquarters 333 S. State Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60604
Department executive
  • Julie Morita, MD, Commissioner
Website www.cityofchicago.org/Health

The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is a government department of the City of Chicago. Its mission is to make Chicago a safer and healthier place by working with community partners to promote health, prevent disease, reduce environmental hazards and ensure access to health care for all Chicagoans including:

  • Provide leadership for Public Health.
  • Identify, analyze and track issues.
  • Define problems and guide public health action.
  • Inspect food establishments to ensure safe food supply.
  • Establish a public health presence in city neighborhoods.
  • Deliver services either directly or through delegate agencies.
  • Advise Chicagoans of their rights as health care consumers and help them get care from HMOs and other medical providers.[1]

Leadership

Structure

CDPH Organizational Structure.

Services and Programs

Healthy Chicago

On August 16, 2011, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Commissioner Bechara Choucair, MD unveiled the Healthy Chicago public health agenda with the Chicago Department of Public Health.[2] Healthy Chicago identifies 16 health outcome targets and 12 key priority areas and over 200 supporting strategies including:

  • Tobacco Use
  • Obesity Prevention
  • HIV Prevention
  • Adolescent Health
  • Cancer Disparities
  • Heart Disease & Stroke
  • Access to Care
  • Healthy Mothers & Babies
  • Communicable Disease Control & Prevention
  • Healthy Homes
  • Violence Prevention
  • Public Health Infrastructure
  • Food Insecurity

[3] Food Insecurity is one of Chicago's major public health concerns. In 2011, 122, 998 low- income Chicago residents were classified as living in neighborhoods that were food insecure. This term identifies residents who have to travel more than 1 mile to reach a food establishment of 10,000 sq. ft. or more selling fresh produce. Since the approval to release food desert data Mayor Rahm Emanuel has launched a citywide plan "A Recipe for Healthy Places" which a program that supports health eating, aides in the funding of health-food establishments, and promotes the farming of healthy foods. In addition to this initiative, the city has also help establish 15 new grocery stores through the city and the conversion of CTA buses in mobile grocery stores to serve residents living in food deserts who might also struggle with transportation. With massive improvements the City of Chicago has seen 21% decrease in the number of low-income individuals who live in food deserts and has since then made continual effort to help retailers sell healthy food and also funded alternative food sources such as urban farms. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has projected that by 2020 the City of Chicago should be able to eliminate all food deserts.

Healthy Chicago 2.0

On March 29, 2016, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Department of Public Health launched Healthy Chicago 2.0,[4] a plan focused on ensuring a city with strong communities and collaborative stakeholders, where all residents enjoy equitable access to resources, opportunities and environments that maximize their health and well-being. Healthy Chicago 2.0 serves as the start for a new movement dedicated to improving health equity and making Chicago a connected, vibrant and healthy city for all residents.

Healthy Chicago 2.0's development and its eventual success are guided by four key principles:

  1. Healthy Chicago 2.0 prioritizes Health Equity, ensuring that the 200 action steps focus on neighborhoods and communities that face the greatest health disparities, so limited resources are allocated to the areas where they are needed most.
  2. Healthy Chicago 2.0 is a Collaborative Effort, providing action steps for not just CDPH but for other government agencies and community partners to work together and to improve health equity for every resident. Hundreds of community partners– representing health care providers, government agencies, social service providers, advocates, academic institutions, businesses, faith-based organizations, and residents – reviewed public health data and agreed upon over 200 coordinated strategies to promote health equity.
  3. Healthy Chicago 2.0 addresses the Social Determinants of Health, in addition to traditional health outcomes. Understanding that health is impacted by a number of factors, including economic opportunity, education and public infrastructure, Healthy Chicago 2.0 provides action steps to address these underlying issues.
  4. Healthy Chicago 2.0 leverages Data and Surveillance by making sure each goal and action step are measurable. Leveraging the annual Healthy Chicago resident survey and the Chicago Health Atlas, we will measure and share progress on an annual basis and make adjustments in the plan's implementation to ensure its greatest efficacy.

In total, Healthy Chicago 2.0 outlines 82 objectives and over 200 strategies to help reach 30 goals. These priorities resulted from a robust community assessment process. In order to measure progress towards each goal, CDPH and community partners identified 75 indicators to serve as annual benchmarks towards our 2020 targets.

Healthy Chicago 2.0 is being implemented through collaborations with community partners. Action teams have been developed and are currently working to implement strategies and meet objectives in the plan.

Action teams address the following areas:

  • Expanding Partnership and Community Engagement
  • Addressing Root Causes of Health (economic development, built environment, transportation, climate change, and housing)
  • Addressing Education
  • Increasing Access to Health and Human Services
  • Promoting Behavioral Health
  • Strengthening Child & Adolescent Health
  • Preventing and Controlling Chronic Diseases like Obesity, Tobacco Use and Cancer
  • Reducing the Burden of Infectious Disease
  • Reducing Violence
  • Utilizing and Maximizing Data and Research

Select Resources

Chicago Department of Public Health Apps

Chicago Department of Public Health Predictive Analytic Models

References

  1. ↑ Chicago Department of Public Health Website, accessed 3 October 2013
  2. ↑ American Public Health Association Public Health Newswire, accessed 3 October 2013
  3. ↑ https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2013/august_2013/ayor_emanuel_announcesreleaseoffooddesertdataandnewinteractiveef.html
  4. ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, accessed 21 October 2017
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