Chicago Department of Public Health

City of Chicago :: Public Health - Our Structure

src: www.cityofchicago.org

The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is a government department of the City of Chicago. Its mission is to make Chicago a safer and healthier place by working with community partners to promote health, prevent disease, reduce environmental hazards and ensure access to health care for all Chicagoans including:

Provide leadership for Public Health.
Identify, analyze and track issues.
Define problems and guide public health action.
Inspect food establishments to ensure safe food supply.
Establish a public health presence in city neighborhoods.
Deliver services either directly or through delegate agencies.
Advise Chicagoans of their rights as health care consumers and help them get care from HMOs and other medical providers.

Video Chicago Department of Public Health

Leadership

Julie Morita, M.D. is the Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health
Carolyn Lopez, M.D. is the President of the Chicago Board of Health

Maps Chicago Department of Public Health

Structure

CDPH Organizational Structure.

2014 Projects, Part 4: Chicago Department of Public Health ...

src: dssg.uchicago.edu

Services and Programs

Healthy Chicago

On August 16, 2011, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Commissioner Bechara Choucair, MD unveiled the Healthy Chicago public health agenda with the Chicago Department of Public Health. Healthy Chicago identifies 16 health outcome targets and 12 key priority areas and over 200 supporting strategies including:

Tobacco Use
Obesity Prevention
HIV Prevention
Adolescent Health
Cancer Disparities
Heart Disease & Stroke
Access to Care
Healthy Mothers & Babies
Communicable Disease Control & Prevention
Healthy Homes
Violence Prevention
Public Health Infrastructure
Food Insecurity

Food Insecurity is one of Chicago's major public health concerns. In 2011, 122, 998 low- income Chicago residents were classified as living in neighborhoods that were food insecure. This term identifies residents who have to travel more than 1 mile to reach a food establishment of 10,000 sq. ft. or more selling fresh produce. Since the approval to release food desert data Mayor Rahm Emanuel has launched a citywide plan "A Recipe for Healthy Places" which a program that supports health eating, aides in the funding of health-food establishments, and promotes the farming of healthy foods. In addition to this initiative, the city has also help establish 15 new grocery stores through the city and the conversion of CTA buses in mobile grocery stores to serve residents living in food deserts who might also struggle with transportation. With massive improvements the City of Chicago has seen 21% decrease in the number of low-income individuals who live in food deserts and has since then made continual effort to help retailers sell healthy food and also funded alternative food sources such as urban farms. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has projected that by 2020 the City of Chicago should be able to eliminate all food deserts.

Healthy Chicago 2.0

On March 29, 2016, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Department of Public Health launched Healthy Chicago 2.0 , a plan focused on ensuring a city with strong communities and collaborative stakeholders, where all residents enjoy equitable access to resources, opportunities and environments that maximize their health and well-being. Healthy Chicago 2.0 serves as the start for a new movement dedicated to improving health equity and making Chicago a connected, vibrant and healthy city for all residents.

Healthy Chicago 2.0's development and its eventual success are guided by four key principles:

Healthy Chicago 2.0 prioritizes Health Equity, ensuring that the 200 action steps focus on neighborhoods and communities that face the greatest health disparities, so limited resources are allocated to the areas where they are needed most.
Healthy Chicago 2.0 is a Collaborative Effort, providing action steps for not just CDPH but for other government agencies and community partners to work together and to improve health equity for every resident. Hundreds of community partners- representing health care providers, government agencies, social service providers, advocates, academic institutions, businesses, faith-based organizations, and residents - reviewed public health data and agreed upon over 200 coordinated strategies to promote health equity.
Healthy Chicago 2.0 addresses the Social Determinants of Health, in addition to traditional health outcomes. Understanding that health is impacted by a number of factors, including economic opportunity, education and public infrastructure, Healthy Chicago 2.0 provides action steps to address these underlying issues.
Healthy Chicago 2.0 leverages Data and Surveillance by making sure each goal and action step are measurable. Leveraging the annual Healthy Chicago resident survey and the Chicago Health Atlas, we will measure and share progress on an annual basis and make adjustments in the plan's implementation to ensure its greatest efficacy.

In total, Healthy Chicago 2.0 outlines 82 objectives and over 200 strategies to help reach 30 goals. These priorities resulted from a robust community assessment process. In order to measure progress towards each goal, CDPH and community partners identified 75 indicators to serve as annual benchmarks towards our 2020 targets.

Healthy Chicago 2.0 is being implemented through collaborations with community partners. Action teams have been developed and are currently working to implement strategies and meet objectives in the plan.

Action teams address the following areas:

Expanding Partnership and Community Engagement
Addressing Root Causes of Health (economic development, built environment, transportation, climate change, and housing)
Addressing Education
Increasing Access to Health and Human Services
Promoting Behavioral Health
Strengthening Child & Adolescent Health
Preventing and Controlling Chronic Diseases like Obesity, Tobacco Use and Cancer
Reducing the Burden of Infectious Disease
Reducing Violence
Utilizing and Maximizing Data and Research

Select Resources

Healthy Chicago 2.0 Website
2017 Healthy Chicago 2.0 Update Video
2017 Health in All Policies Task Force Report
2016 Healthy Chicago 2.0 Launch Video
2016 Healthy Chicago 2.0 Plan
2016 HIV/STI Surveillance Report
2015 Healthy Chicago Survey Findings Report
2014 Healthy Adolescents Report
2013 Healthy Chicago Annual Report
2013 Healthy Chicago Public Schools
2012 Healthy Chicago LGBT Community Action Plan