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Will County health director outlines five-year strategic plan, asks committee for monthly division highlights
Summary
Elizabeth Allata, Will County Health Department executive director, introduced division leaders, described a forthcoming five-year strategic plan and asked the committee whether the department should provide a monthly, in-depth highlight of one division.
Elizabeth Allata, executive director of the Will County Health Department, briefed the committee on the department's work and said the department will present a five-year strategic plan to the Board of Health in January and to the committee afterward.
Allata introduced division leaders who were present to answer technical questions: Robert Dutton (health equity manager), Cheryl Picard (assistant division director, Family Health Services) and Shawn Connors (division director, Environmental Health). She said her report spans health equity, emergency preparedness, family health services, environmental health, the community health center and WIC.
Why it matters: Allata asked the County Board committee whether members would like the health department to provide a deeper monthly highlight on one division, in addition to the written report covering all programs. Committee members agreed this would be useful and Allata said the department will return with a schedule for division-focused briefings.
Survey and outreach work: Cheryl Picard described an ongoing family-health survey tied to MAP (referred to in the meeting as Mobilizing Action Projects). The department reported 178 responses so far and noted a challenge reaching Spanish-speaking respondents; staff asked for help from committee members to spread the survey URL and QR code through social media and community networks.
All Our Kids Network and early childhood referrals: Picard described the All Our Kids Network, a web-based referral system focused on birth-to-3 services that connects providers (school districts, libraries, childcare resource and referral agencies) to children and families in need.
Field trip and follow-up: committee members asked about a possible site visit to the health department, including the environmental lab and community health center. The department indicated it could host a visit and will coordinate logistics with the committee chair.
Next steps: Allata said the department will provide its strategic-plan materials to the committee after Board of Health review, circulate a proposed schedule for monthly division highlights and work with committee members to boost survey reach among Spanish-speaking residents.
