County Health Department, Local Partners and Medical School Research Unit Collaborate to Improve Community Health

Meeting community health needs depends on active participation of multiple partners and a comprehensive assessment of local health problems. Local public health departments are broadly representative of the communities they serve, yet often lack resources and expertise for in-depth data analysis. Academic institutions, on the other hand, are frequently isolated from community-based health assessment processes.

Health Systems Research, part of the University of Illinois College of Medicine, assisted the Stephenson County Health Department's Healthy Communities partnership by collecting and analyzing extensive information about the county's health, demographics, social characteristics and economic indicators. Data were used to identify three priorities: premature death among African Americans, obesity and low weight birth. Action planning for the state-mandated, five-year community health improvement plan followed the priority setting process as did pursuit of a HRSA planning grant for a federally qualified health center.

The model of an academic and practice relationship enabled the public health department to use a data-driven approach to health assessment, while the medical school gained opportunities to connect medical education with community health planning initiatives