Public Accountability Report

Mission: The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is an advocate for and partner with the people of Illinois to re-envision health policy and promote health equity, prevent and protect against disease and injury, and prepare for health emergencies.

Vision: Illinoisans empowered and supported to achieve their optimal health with dignity and acceptance in diverse and thriving communities.

Values and Guiding Principles

Health Equity: We believe that achieving optimal health for everyone is rooted in reducing and removing social, environmental, economic, and structural barriers to health, such as racism and other forms of inequity.

Integrity: We believe that the foundation of public health is trust, and that we must always act with the highest standards of honesty, trustworthiness, and transparency.

Science and Data: We believe that our decisions, policies, and programs must be driven by science, the most reliable public health expertise, and timely data.

Preparedness: We believe we must be prepared to address emerging issues and health emergencies and maintain flexibility to respond quickly and effectively.

Collaboration: We believe that we are most effective in achieving our health goals when we value the contributions of our diverse employees and partners; collaborate with stakeholders, communities, and other state agencies; and foster a culture of inclusivity.

Communication: We believe that communication is a multi-dimensional process and to enhance public health we must provide accurate, evidence-based, actionable, and timely information that is informed by community needs, builds public confidence, and increases public knowledge and healthy behaviors.

IDPH utilized the Strategic Plan and its State Health Improvement Plan to guide its work in alignment with its mission, vision, and value statements. The following summarizes these goals and identifies objectives. Overall, the metric goals for each office were met.

The Center for Minority Health Services (CMHS) continues to take steps to improve the quality of performance measures captured to provide increased insight on targeted interventions and service gap areas to facilitate CMHS’s ability to support the agency’s mission of optimal health for all Illinoisans. The biggest challenges during this reporting period include turnover in key program staff, grant reporting and amendments, and the sunset of COVID equity funding. CMHS reinforced expectations for staff regarding grantee reporting expectations and timelines and set benchmarks for staff performance to reduce the errors in approved reimbursement vouchers and subsequent delayed disbursement due to corrections required by the Office of Financial Administration. grant activities. While CMHS continues to meet its goals of promoting health equity, providing access to care, and raising awareness, we remain hopeful that future funding will include opportunities for addressing the social and economic determinants of health that prevent certain communities and population groups from achieving optimal health, along with funding to address emergent health needs beyond COVID as they arise in minority populations and communities of color.

The Office of Disease Control (ODC) administers programs to prevent and control infectious and communicable diseases, to reduce and eliminate exposure, and to ensure population health, safety, and well-being. The Division of Infectious Diseases includes immunizations, communicable diseases, infectious diseases, the public health state veterinarian, and surveillance. Primary responsibilities include statewide surveillance, identification of disease outbreaks and clusters, reporting, and providing consultation services and training for public health partners. The Division of HIV/Hepatitis/STI/TB focuses on preventing the spread and complications resulting from various community diseases – specifically tuberculosis, hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV/AIDS. The Bureau of Testing consists of wastewater surveillance, public health laboratories administration, and the Division of Laboratories, which supports public health programs by providing accurate and timely results. They also respond to epidemic and pandemic outbreak response, clinical surveillance testing, environmental and dairy testing, and select agent testing in support of bioterrorism and chemical terrorism events.

The Office of Health Care Regulation’s (OHCR) mission is to ensure a safe and healthy environment and to promote quality care for people who use primary health-care agencies and services. OHCR’s goal in fiscal year 2024 is to ensure compliance with minimum standards/rules for long-term care and non-long-term facilities under Health Care Facilities and Programs. The OHCR/HCF&P results summary shows goals to be met.

The Office of Health Promotion (OHPm) had a state appropriation increase in fiscal year 2023 that expanded the reach of chronic disease programming. Increases in prevention activities, provider trainings, screening and early detection, diagnosis, and treatment, and interventions for asthma, blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, dementia, and cancer (colorectal, lung, and prostate) were seen across the state. Tobacco prevention and outreach remains stable across the state through community outreach and paid media efforts. The Division of Medical Cannabis is processing a record number of applications. The Division of Emerging Health Issues has maintained and expanded surveillance sources and expanded mental health support to schools. The Oral Health Section remains committed to providing vulnerable populations and children with dental services and care in a challenging landscape shaped by a nationwide shortage of dental professionals. The Health Assessment and Screening Section continues to identify newborns and children with serious and treatable health conditions and has expanded its ability to address health equity for adults living with sickle cell disease through targeted funding. Last, OHPm is addressing the social determinants of health as they relate to the morbidity and mortality faced by our focus areas.

The Office of Health Protection (OHPt) implements programs to reduce the incidence of disease and injury caused by environmental exposures using surveillance, assessment, inspection, case management, data stakeholder education, and enforcement of statutes and rules.

The Office of Policy, Planning, and Statistics (OPPS) collects, analyzes, and evaluates information on health status, health needs, and disease occurrence in Illinois residents. The office has four divisions: the Division of Patient Safety and Quality, the Division of Vital Records, the Division of Health Data and Policy, and the Division of Epidemiologic Studies. Additionally, OPPS supports the Center for Rural Health and the Health Services Facilities and Review Board. Under these areas, OPPS conducts epidemiologic studies and manages disease registries, supports statewide health assessments and surveys, advises on and supports health professional shortages, ensures the integrity of Vital Records, tracks health-care service use and patient safety outcomes, administers the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and processes applications for capital improvements to health-care facilities.

The Office of Preparedness and Response’s (OPR) mission is to work with federal, state, and local partners to strengthen core emergency preparedness and response initiatives and create statewide public health and medical emergency response capability. OPR’s goals during fiscal year 2024 were to increase the state’s public health capacity to prepare for all-hazards emergencies and ensure that the tools are in place for a robust public health response across the state even as threats evolve and emerge. The OPR results summary shows that some measures were met and exceeded, and some underperformed.

During fiscal year 2024, the Office of Women’s Health and Family Services (OWHFS) had many accomplishments and victories. The Illinois Title V programs, partners, and collaborations were estimated to have reached millions of Illinois residents through a variety of direct, enabling, population-based, and infrastructure-building services. The Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program screened 16,621, the Illinois Family Planning Program had over 190,000 clients visit their clinics, and the Illinois Wisewoman program screened 202 women for CVD risk factors. Our staff gave incarcerated women hope, assisted thousands of strangers calling the health line, hosted over 2,000 health professionals in conferences and summits, and much more.