Background: Previous research has identified Chicago as having significant racial health disparities, including 3,000-plus excess Black deaths a year due to the disparity.

Objectives: We describe how the Chicago Department of Public Health has been documenting and addressing health inequities at the city level for the past decade.

Methods: In 2020, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) released a community health improvement plan that pushes the focus of public health upstream from programs and services based on specific health conditions or risk behaviors to the unequal living conditions and institutional inequities that create them.

Results: Among the novel developments in creating the plan was the compilation and use of root cause data, or data that quantitatively describes the inequities in the living conditions of Chicago residents. We will describe the role of this data in proposing strategies to: 1) transform policy to foster antiracist systems; 2) strengthen community capacity; 3) improve systems of care; and 4) further the vibrancy of neighborhoods.

Conclusion: The successful cross-sector, citywide implementation of Healthy Chicago 2025 is working to reverse the recent decline in life expectancy and close the racial gap by squarely focusing on root causes.