Submitted By
Lisa Shelley, Deputy Village Manager, and Sara Semelka, Public Health Education Manager
Reviewed By
A.M. Zayyad
Agenda Item Title
Title
A Resolution Approving a Revised 2022 Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs (IPLAN) Five-Year Community Health Plan as Recommended by the Board of Health and as Directed by the Village Board at the October 17, 2022 Board Meeting and Authorizing Submission of the IPLAN to the Illinois Department of Public Health
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Overview
Overview
On September 29, 2022, the Board of Health recommended approval of the 2022 Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs (IPLAN) Five-Year Community Health Plan. This five-year plan is required of the Village to remain a state certified public health department.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
Staff concurs with the Board of Health
Fiscal Impact
N/A
Background
The following additions, indicated by an underline, were made to the report based on feedback from members of the Board of Trustees at the October 17, 2022 meeting:
- Page 42: “However, 7% of respondents wanted to be pregnant later than they got pregnant, and 11% did not want to be pregnant at all. It seems notable that 18% of all respondents to this question -nearly 50 individuals - did not want to be pregnant at the time they became pregnant, suggesting the importance of access to comprehensive reproductive health and contraceptive services to many community members.”
- Page 53: “These high-level categories and some of the forces within each were:
- Mental health and substance use (14%), such as youth alcohol and tobacco use, increased isolation and loneliness, and stigma
Workforce, wages, and the economy (14%), such as workforce shortages, economic uncertainty, and inflation
Politics and policy (12%), such as gun safety legislation, overturning of Roe v. Wade, and political polarization
COVID-19 pandemic and its impact (9%), such as changes to the workforce, behavioral changes, and long COVID
Climate change (9%), including anxiety around climate impacts and ways to invest in sustainability
Health care access and utilization (8%), such as access to safety net care, access to abortion and reproductive health care, and the high cost of care
Violence and safety (7%), especially mass shootings and other gun violence
Community collaboration (6%), such as between agencies and with bordering communities coming out of COVID
Housing and community infrastructure (6%), such as high housing costs, growth in multi-family dwellings, and new community and fitness infrastructure
Seniors and people with disabilities (5%), such as the changing needs of an aging community and of those with disabilities
Technology (5%), including social media and telehealth
Racial equity and health equity (4%), such as increased interest in addressing equity and dismantling institutional racism
Emerging global issues and their local impact (3%), such as refugees fleeing war in Ukraine and monkeypox now in the US”
- Page 54:
“Threats Posed
Weakening of public health laws, willingness of public to listen
Workforce shortages, the great resignation
Inability for people to meet basic needs, need for social/public services
Limited safety net providers/access for a variety of services
Heightened grief, anxiety, hopelessness (COVID, climate change, gun violence, abortion)
Spread of misinformation online
Racism, stereotyping, stigma”
- Page 65, in Goal #3, under the outcome “Greater engagement in gun violence prevention policy and advocacy,” the following strategy was added: Collaborate with law enforcement to reduce the prevalence of illegally obtained firearms
- Page 66, in Goal #1, under the outcome “Increased awareness of access points for health care and information,” the following strategy was added: Identify gaps or changes in access points for comprehensive reproductive health care
General Background:
The purpose of the IPLAN community health needs assessment process is to identify health needs, inform health planning, and ultimately improve the health of the communities of Oak Park, Illinois, and River Forest, Illinois. The recommended IPLAN is attached in the form of a Community Health Plan. As part of the IPLAN process, it is required that the Village Board approve the Community Health Plan and authorize its submission to the Illinois Department of Public Health prior to January 20, 2023.
The assessment was conducted in keeping with the Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs (IPLAN), a community health assessment and strategic planning process that is conducted by local health jurisdictions in Illinois. The completion of IPLAN is required of every certified health department in Illinois every five years under Illinois Administrative Code Section 600.400: Certified Local Health Department Code Public Health Practice Standards.
The IPLAN process is grounded in the core functions of public health and incorporates robust participation of community stakeholders to assist the local health department in identifying community health priorities and planning strategies to address these priorities.
The Illinois Department of Public Health allows health departments to use a variety of processes to develop the IPLAN document. In 2022, the department is using the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) process, created by the National Association of County and City Health Officials. The MAPP process consists of five phases to create the plan, and then a sixth phase for implementation and evaluation.
The first phase focuses on organizing and partnership development. The 2022 core IPLAN team consists of representatives from various organizations from key sectors of our local public health system. Membership includes: Oak Park Township, The Oak Park Community Mental Health Board, The Park District of Oak Park, River Forest Township, and Rush Hospital.
Representatives from each entity are executives or in leadership roles who have the authority to authorize funds and make real-time decisions. The core team members have dedicated resources to this process by way of financial support or similarly sized in-kind donations to cover things such as the cost of a consulting firm, printing, space, and marketing.
The second phase of the process is to create a vision for the plan. The IPLAN core team worked together in a facilitated meeting to develop a collective vision statement that reflected feedback from community stakeholders. The vision statement for this IPLAN is as follows: We envision a safe, thriving, and inclusive Oak Park and River Forest, where everyone who lives, works, and plays in our communities can attain optimal health through proactive community strategies that promote equitable health outcomes.
The next phase consists of four community assessments, which were conducted between March and June of 2022. During this phase, qualitative and quantitative data are gathered to provide a comprehensive picture of health in the community.
• Community Themes and Strengths Assessment
o More than 750 people who live, work and play in Oak Park and River Forest completed our survey about the quality of life and health in our community.
o The Health Department is conducting key informant interviews to gain a deeper understanding of the health needs, facilitators, and barriers for key populations in our community.
• Local Public Health System Assessment
o On June 2, the Health Department held a meeting with key community stakeholders to evaluate how the local health system provides the 10 Essential Public Health Services to our community.
o The Health Department also conducted a self-assessment of the department’s success in these 10 areas.
• Forces of Change Assessment
o Using a survey completed by community stakeholders as a basis, the core IPLAN group determined possible forces that may affect our community in the next five years, and associated opportunities and threats
• Community Health Status Assessment
o The consulting firm Leading Healthy Futures, which the Village worked with for its previous IPLAN, analyzed quantitative data on health status, quality of life, and risk factors for our community.
The fourth phase focuses on identifying strategic issues. To accomplish this, the Health Department and the core IPLAN team hosted and facilitate community stakeholder meetings and listening sessions. Participants heard presentations on the data from the four assessments above and then participated in facilitated conversations to pull out important topics to include in the final community health plan. Meetings took place in person and virtually in July and August. Community stakeholders also offered feedback via email to the Health Department and members of the core IPLAN team.
The four areas chosen as priorities for the 2022 IPLAN are: The Built and Natural Environment, Mental Health, Gun Violence, Access to Care.
Finally, the core team led activities to formulate goals and strategies to improve public health in these four areas. Throughout August, community stakeholders and community-based organizations met virtually with the core IPLAN team members and the Health Department to create specific goals, strategies, key actions, and measurements and identify necessary partnerships needed to make meaningful changes in the four identified priority areas. Each priority area has a goal statement and an interrelated set of strategy statements and activities.
The resulting Community Health Plan, therefore, includes community health data, planning processes, and strategies around four major focus areas of importance to the partners and the community.
On September 29, the OPRF Community Health Plan was approved by the Village of Oak Park Board of Health. Attached is a letter from the Board of Health addressed to the Illinois Department of Public Health with its approval of the plan.
Alternatives
The Board could request additional information.
Previous Board Action
The most recent Board approved IPLAN Community Health Plan is dated September 2017.
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
The Board of Health approved the IPLAN Community Health Plan on September 29, 2022.
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
The Village Board will be required to update the plan in 2027.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
The Village of Oak Park Public Health Department partnered on the 2022 needs assessment with the Oak Park Township, the Oak Park Community Mental Health Board, the Park District of Oak Park, River Forest Township, and Rush Hospital (collectively referred to as the “IPLAN core team”). The resulting Community Health Plan, therefore, includes community health data, planning processes, and strategies around four major focus areas of importance to the partners and the community: the built and natural environment, mental health, gun violence, and access to care.
The goals and strategies set forth in the IPLAN are a roadmap for the entire local public health system, including the organizations represented by the core team and a wider circle of stakeholders. These entities will use the IPLAN as a guide for their initiatives and collaborative work with the Village and each other.