Laying the Groundwork for a Healthier, More Equitable Cook County

July 30, 2025

Original coverage by the Cook County Department of Public Health.

The Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) is proud to share progress on Building Healthier Communities 2030, our next Community Health Assessment and Improvement Plan (CHA/CHIP). This community-driven initiative aims to advance health equity and create lasting, systemic change across suburban Cook County. Formerly known as WePlan 2030, the initiative has been renamed to reflect deeper alignment with the Cook County Policy Roadmap and to emphasize our collective commitment to collaboration, equity, and shared leadership. On July 17, we hosted our first major community convening, bringing together more than 60 partner organizations from across the region. This gathering marked a significant milestone: the official launch of a robust engagement process that centers the lived experiences, insights, and priorities of those who live and work in our communities.

So far, we have made strong progress:

#1 – Completed a comprehensive data collection and analysis process

#2 – Identified three key health priority areas:

• Chronic disease prevention

• Behavioral health

• Maternal and child health

#3 – Began developing cross-sector strategies to tackle these priority areas with actionable solutions

Looking ahead, the final Building Healthier Communities 2030 plan will be released in January 2026. But the work won’t stop there. The next phase will focus on implementing these strategies and co-creating community-led systems of accountability to measure progress and ensure the work continues to reflect community needs. We are deeply grateful to the many partners who have contributed their time, expertise, and passion to this process. Your involvement is not only valued it’s essential.

Together, we’re building a future where every person in Cook County has the opportunity to thrive. Stay tuned for more updates soon.

You can learn more about our current Community Health Improvement plan here: Community Health Improvement Plan.

Partners:

• 11th District

• Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County

• American Heart Association

• Arab American Family Services

• Authentic Heart Behavioral Health and Wellness/Now Prosper Coaching and Consulting

• Be Strong Families

• Birth to Five Illinois

• Birth to Five Illinois: Region 1-B-C

• Catholic Charities

• CEDA

• Center of Concern

• Chicago Food Policy Action Council

• Cook County Bureau of Economic Development

• Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton

• Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison

• Cook County Commissioners

• Cook County Department of Environment

• Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways

• Cook County Health – Office of Behavioral Health

• CountyCare

• EverThrive IL

• Forest Preserves of Cook. County

• Illinois Public Health Institute

• In His Hands Resource Center

• Loyola Medicine

• NAMI Metro Suburban

• NAMI South Suburbs of Chicago

• National Kidney Foundation of Illinois

• Proviso Partners for Health

• SGA Youth & Family Services

• Sisters Working It Out

• Stickney Public Health District

• TASC

• TCA HEALTH

• Under Carrey’s Care

• UCC

• University of Illinois at Chicago