Healthy Illinois 2021

Healthy Illinois 2021 is an effort to improve the health of people in Illinois. Many programs fall under Healthy Illinois 2021. This website shares goals and updates on achieving our state health goals. The State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) and the State Innovation Model (SIM) are two large programs that make up Healthy Illinois 2021. The SHIP will describe priorities and strategies for health status and public health system improvement, with a focus on prevention. The SIM is an initiative to develop a strong health care system. This system will make health care better for people in Illinois. The SHIP Implementation Coordination Council is a diverse stakeholder group that informs work on the SHIP and SIM.

Successful design implementation of the SHIP and the SIM relies on active participation by government, non-governmental organizations, private companies, members of the public, and others.

Do you have a SHIP-related success story you want to share with others? Have you developed resources in your organization or community that might be of use to others in Illinois? Email us at DPH.SHIPICC@illinois.gov to get started spreading the word.
If you are interested in letting us know about activities in which your organization is engaged that align with SHIP priorities and objectives, you may submit a report. Your reports will be reviewed, discussed, and made part of the annual reporting on the SHIP. It is a great opportunity to highlight the work your organization is doing.

We Choose Health is a multi-year Illinois Department of Public Health initiative to encourage and support the implementation of proactive health programs that fall under three categories: Healthy Eating and Active Living, Smoke-free Living and Healthy and Safe Built Environment. We Choose Health has awarded 21 grantees, covering 60 counties and impacting almost 3 million people. Approximately $3.8 million goes directly to communities to implement programs to address nutrition and access to healthier foods, to increase physical activity and to promote breastfeeding; to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke in multi-unit housing complexes and outdoor places; to improve the quality of screening and treatment for high blood pressure and cholesterol; to improve communities' built environments to increase opportunities for physical activity; and to improve the social and emotional health of students. Strategies are targeted toward serving residents in rural counties and racial and ethnic minority groups in urban areas to reduce health disparities.

A multi-sector leadership team and workgroups have been established to oversee and provide guidance for the implementation of the We Choose Health initiative. Workgroups will provide resources and advice for how We Choose Health can best implement strategies to reduce the burden of chronic disease at the community and state levels.
Learn more at the We Choose Health web site

• Healthy Illinois 2021 Meetings