Diving into Health and Wellness: The Chicago Tap Project

We have long come to believe that drinking water is important for good health. However, we have failed to educate children and adults alike on the significant role of water in health promotion and possible disease prevention. As conversations of water scarcity grow louder, diverse stakeholders committed have initiated dialogue regarding the need to increase the visibility of water within the public health dialogue and to gain increased evidenced-based outcomes of the role and function of water in both human and environmental health sustainability.

Public health leaders nationally and internationally have undertaken and launched strategic initiatives responsive to this debate. For example, the City of Paris, France has launched an educational campaign aimed at increasing consumer's knowledge of water sourcing, its health benefits and the need for conservation efforts and the City of New York has established the “Big Apple Water” campaign which promotes increased consumption of local tap water geared to consumer health safety and preserving environmental health.

In partnership with the Institute for Public Health and Water Research, an organization committed to improving global public health through water consumption, the City of Chicago Department of Public Health will launch a public health messaging and education campaign. The initial focus of this campaign is aimed at increasing water consumption and educating the public on the role, value and functionality of water to improving the public's health. This expert panel will discuss the specifics of the projects and outline how it can be replicated in other areas of the country.