April 1, 2015 - In This Issue:
Public Health in April

 

Minority Health Month

 

STI Awareness Month

 

National Autism Awareness Month

 

National Public Health Week (4/6-4/12)

 

Infant Immunization Week (4/18-4/23)

 

World Health Day (4/7)

 
FROM THE DIRECTOR
Nirav D. Shah, J.D., M.D.
Director headshotIt has been an incredible few months since landing my dream job leading Illinois's Department of Public Health (IDPH).  My time here has further cemented my belief that community empowerment is one of the core tenets of a strong public health program.  I am committed to building a healthier Illinois but I know I cannot do this without the support of numerous partners, especially local health departments (LHDs) across the state.  To that end, I am taking advantage of National Public Health Week (NPHW) to visit a number of LHDs and community agencies across Illinois to conduct roundtable discussions with my peers and gather feedback on how we can align our priorities.        

I also really enjoy connecting with public health and community advocates at our signature conferences.  I agree with attendees that these conferences are excellent opportunities to network with our peers, gain professional development, and share best practices.  After attending our Minority Health Conference  last month, I'm inspired by the passion and commitment of our field as they attempt to make Illinois more equitable.  I also plan to welcome  maternal and child health experts to the Women's Health Conference during NPHW to gain more insight into the invaluable work being done to improve infant and maternal mortality across all populations. 

Wherever I am - in either my Springfield or Chicago office, or out in the field, I am energized by the work we are doing and will do together.  I know, that we can build healthy communities that will be sustained for years to come.  
 
 

 

 

 

 

2015 EGrAMS User Survey
 

In the pursuit of continuous process improvement, the IDPH Office of Performance Management released a survey to assess the Electronic Grants Management and Administration System (EGrAMS) user experience. We received 215 responses from the 2014 survey  which helped to inform our EGrAMS Steering Committee and provided valuable feedback in the creation of training materials.

 

Visit the 'Training Materials' section in EGrAMS to view our new and revised materials. Help us continue our improvements by taking our 2015 EGrAMS User Survey. 

 

Tools and Resources

We Choose Health Best Practice Guide

 

This report is a resource for organizations and communities across Illinois wishing to improve their population's health through proven strategies informed by local experience.  The guide describes evidence-based approaches, success stories, and lessons learned from IDPH's We Choose Health initiative. 

 

Partnership Building as a Health Promotion Tool

 

These resources provide in-depth yet practical approaches to building and sustaining partnerships for improved public health.

 

Community Tool Box - a service of the Work Group for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas,

 

Coalitions and Partnerships in Community Health by Frances Dunn Butterfoss (2007). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

 

A Practitioner's Guide to Successful Coalitions, by TomWolff. 2001 American Journal of Community Psychology, 29(2), 173-191.  

 

 

Ebola Testing

 

The IDPH Laboratories have provided rapid testing for Ebola Virus over the course of the virus outbreak in western Africa. The laboratory uses a US Department of Defense developed test that was given "Emergency Use Authorization" by the US Food and Drug Administration.  O'Hare International Airport is one of the U.S. points of entry for Ebola screening.  The rapid turnaround for results, which have all been negative for the virus, has eased concerns for passengers.  As of the end of March, IDPH has monitored 16 travelers and residents for Ebola virus disease. However, no persons have tested positive for Ebola in Illinois.   

Lt. Gov. Sanguinneti Kicks Off Minority Health Conference
Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinneti opened the 2015 Minority Health Conference, held March 24-25, in Lisle, IL.  She announced that the Governor had issued a proclamation observing April as Minority Health Month and reiterated the Governors Office's commitment to empowering minority communities.  Lt. Governor Sanguinneti shared that since she'd been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, she is particularly and personally dedicated to the mission of public health and community health agencies.
  
Director Shah built upon her remarks in his keynote address where he discussed the landscape of minority health since the publication of the Heckler Report 30 years ago.  The Heckler Report first highlighted the disparities that exist in the US health care system and its anniversary is the theme of the 2015 National Public Health Week.  Select conference plenary streams are available online. 
On the Road to Accreditation
 
IDPH is due for its site visit by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) this June, another step in our quest for accreditation.

IDPH is passionate about continuously improving the quality of our services and increasing accountability to our stakeholders. To that end, we will continue to support our local health departments in their pursuit of accreditation so that together we can improve the quality of services provided to the residents of Illinois. In FY2012, IDPH received funding from the CDC and the National Network of Public Health Institutes to provide funding through a competitive grant application to local health departments interested in pursuing accreditation. In 2014, IDPH awarded two local health departments, Clay County and Knox County with grants to cover their PHAB accreditation fees.

PHAB aligns with 10 Essential Public Health Services and is currently the only nationally accrediting body for health departments. Accreditation aims to improve the quality of agency practice and performance.  

In order to maintain continuous quality improvement, we are collecting your feedback to identify improvements and to strengthen our system.  Please take this brief survey and rate your satisfaction with our Ten Essential Health Services.  This survey will close on May 1.


Questions regarding IDPH's accreditation can be directed to Nicole Griffith, Deputy Director Office of Performance Management.
New School Requirement: 
Meningococcal Vaccine 
 
Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, any child entering the sixth grade shall show proof of having received one dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine. 

In addition, any child entering the 12th grade shall show proof of having received two doses of meningococcal conjugate vaccine.  The first dose shall have been received on or after the 11th birthday, and the second dose on or after the 16th birthday.   If the first dose is administered when the child is 16 years of age or older, only one dose is required.   

Featured IDPH Programs

 

Communicable Disease Control Program

Our Communicable Disease Control Section (CDCS) is responsible for monitoring over 70 communicable diseases (e.g., all vaccine preventable diseases), all clusters and outbreaks for reportable and non-reportable diseases and conditions, and emerging infectious diseases(e.g., Ebola). CDCS provides disease surveillance, technical guidance for case management and infection control issues, and continuing education.

Tuberculosis Control Program


 Our Tuberculosis (TB) Control Program is one of the oldest programs at IDPH and conducts not only TB surveillance but also contact investigation, treatment of both active disease and latent infection, and TB outbreak detection and mitigation.  We celebrated American Diabetes Alert Day, March 24, to encourage people to get screened for diabetes.  Last year, there were 320 active cases of TB in IL, including several cases of multi-drug resistant TB.  
 

Division of Environmental Health


 The Division of Environmental Health Licensing programs issue approximately 30,000 licenses annually to individuals, businesses and facilities. Several programs have been migrated to a common web-based GL Suites licensing system so licensees can conveniently renew and pay for licenses online.  During the current renewal period, the Plumbing Facilities programs has seen significant increases in the utilization of online renewal; to date, 90% of the more than 4,000 plumber renewals have been processed online!