Mission:
NIPHC is a membership organization of local public health departments serving jurisdictions in the greater Chicago Metropolitan area and is dedicated to promoting and protecting the health of the region though networking and collaborative action that raises public awareness, builds constituency, and influences legislation and policies concerning public health issues affecting northern Illinois.

Goal 1: Ensure that federal and state, legislative and agency policies are responsive to the public health concerns of northern Illinois.
  1. Influence public health decisions made at the state level that affect the northern Illinois region.
    1. Develop a focused legislative agenda to effectively prioritize, track and respond to public health legislative issues.
    2. Build relationships with, and identify public health champions in the General Assembly, and where possible recruit public health leaders to consider public office.
    3. Collaborate with the Illinois Association of Public Health Administrators (IAPHA) and other organizations to advance public health policy issues.
    4. Build a more effective working relationship with IDPH leadership and support IDPH functions in critical areas, especially data collection and reporting, where NIPHC members have strength.
    5. Engage other state agencies (IDHFS, IDHS, IEPA) and the governor’s office to support NIPHC policy positions.
  2. Increase public health resources available to NIPHC member agencies and the region.
    1. Work to revise distribution formulas used by IDPH for the allocation of grant and contract funds (e.g. bioterrorism, pandemic flu, LHPG, etc.) to greater promote a regional approach to local public health and better take into account population, need and capacity factors.
    2. Increase Medicaid revenue to local health departments through implementing the Certified Public Entity (CPE) reimbursement mechanism.
    3. Develop strategies for more sustainable LHD funding (e.g. 708 structures, increased fees, service revenue projects).
  3. Develop a federal policy agenda.
    1. Position the region to receive federal public health stimulus funding and promote the connection between public health and economic wellbeing.
    2. Establish a Capitol Hill advocacy presence (“Illinois Lobby Day”) with IAPHA and IDPH.
    3. Participate in the emerging health reform debate (e.g. Op Ed piece).
    4. Identify federal funding priorities for the region including a Chicago public health laboratory and public health professions loan forgiveness program.
Goal 2: Raise awareness about and build constituency for public health issues and needs.
  1. Develop greater identity for public health issues and public health agencies through marketing, public relations, outreach, and communication technologies (e.g. messaging, Twitter, You Tube).
    1. Establish member agencies as the “go to” source of community health information.
    2. Promote NIPHC member innovations by making presentations at state and national professional meetings (IPHA, APHA, NACCHO Annual Meetings).
  2. Build a constituency within the general public, media, civic leaders, and elected officials that understands public health and supports public health agencies.
    1. Promote public health and activities of public health agencies at partner organizations’ meetings, events and functions.
    2. Assist members in more effectively engaging their boards of health.
    3. Reach out to non-public health stakeholders such as the business community, CMAP, and Metro Counties.
  3. Promote the role of public health agencies in assuring access to or delivering health services as a lower cost, holistic and wellness-oriented alternative to individual and community health.
    1. Market the role of pubic health agencies with hospitals and other mainstream health services providers.
Goal 3: Increase capacity within NIPHC member agencies and the region to effectively address priority public health issues.
  1. Model the use of information technology, epidemiology, and data access capacity to identify regional public health issues, raise awareness, propose solutions and drive state policy.
    1. Participate in public health informatics initiatives that impact the region (e.g. Health Information Exchange, Cornerstone replacement, IPLAN data system, etc.).
  2. Participate fully in state efforts to use performance management and agency accreditation, and set an example for how system improvements beyond LHD certification can be achieved.
  3. Develop leadership and succession potential within member senior staff through leadership training, encouraging credentialing, and competency in the application of technology.
  4. Encourage greater involvement of NIPHC member senior staff activities.

Click here to download the 2009 Strategic Plan in PDF format

The Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium is a 501 (c)(4) organization of the public health departments of the City of Chicago and the Counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will, and Winnebago.