Cook County released its plan Wednesday to reduce deaths from cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases as part of a five-year plan.
To create Building Healthier Communities 2030, public health staffers talked to residents and worked for about a year to craft the mandatory roadmap for improving public health.
Board Chair Raul Garza points out more than half the uninsured people in Cook get treated through the county’s health system - and he expects that number to grow significantly when eligibility guidelines for Medicaid change in 2027.
The three priority areas of the plan are: mental health and substance use, chronic disease prevention and maternal and child health.
Dr. Frankie Shipman-Amuwo, senior director of community health, says a recent community baby shower the public health department held for 150 people is the kind of work they’re doing to address racial disparities in maternal deaths.
The county says Black women are three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy related complications.
Other goals for the County’s Community Health Improvement Plan include getting people to eat more fruits and vegetables and help low-income residents weatherize their homes against extreme temperatures and climate change.
