2023 Annual Report

On behalf of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and in accordance with the State Finance Act (30 ILCS 105/3(a)), I am excited to present the fiscal 2023 report for the Illinois Department of Public Health for the year ending June 30, 2023.

Throughout most of the period covered in this report, the State of Illinois was still operating under the public health emergency declarations that were in place to fight COVID-19. On May 11, 2023, the U.S. Federal Government ended the COVID-19 public health emergency, and Gov. JB Pritzker ended the state’s disaster proclamation.

While the state of Illinois and the nation went through an incredibly challenging time, suffering profound loss, I am incredibly proud of all that was done to help protect the health and safety of our residents. Illinois was fortunate to have the outstanding leadership of Governor J.B. Pritzker and the incredible heroes in our state and local public health departments, health care centers, and community-based organizations providing the needed care to prevent the spread of this terrible disease. This is why I was so pleased to join the Governor and other health leaders to honor our Public Health and Healthcare Heroes on the final day of the public health emergency.

If COVID-19 was our public health crisis, before us now is an opportunity. It is an opportunity to use all that we have learned from fighting COVID to write new chapters in the story of public health. Chapters focused on community. Chapters focused just as strongly on the prevention of disease as its treatment. Chapters focused on addressing historic inequities in the health of so many communities. Chapters focused not just on one infectious disease but on all public health.

We are taking an important step forward, emerging from the crisis of an unprecedented public health emergency into a period of meaningful recovery. A recovery that focuses on preparing for future emergencies, modernizing our IDPH systems, investing in health equity, and enhancing communications. IDPH will continue to focus on addressing multiple endemic, seasonal illnesses, using the effective and proven tools at our disposal, from immunization to the promotion of good hygiene. However, we will also prioritize other, equally important health issues – whether chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, or the concerns posed by mental illness, firearms violence, and environmental hazards.

Going forward, our mission is to adapt the lessons learned from our experiences with COVID-19 to create a unified vision for health – a vision that centers public health in community. IDPH is already beginning to strategize with local health departments, public health partners, the health care industry, community leaders, and government officials to create a more integrated public health system across Illinois. We are working to build the infrastructure needed to address the structural issues that lead to poor health.

Public health is all around us. As you will see from the sections in this report, IDPH covers an incredible range of activities that are vital to maintaining the health and safety our fellow Illinoisans. Looking back over all that we accomplished, I am incredibly proud of our 1,200 employees at IDPH and the work that they accomplished. We look forward to continuing to protect and promote the health of our residents and building brighter futures in every corner of the State in fiscal year 2024.

Yours in good health,

Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA