Skokie IPLAN and Skokie Health Equity Network

The Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs (IPLAN) is a community health assessment and planning process that is conducted every five years by local health jurisdictions in Illinois. The Health and Human Services Department  conducts the assessment and facilitates this process with a coalition of stakeholders. 

2023 IPLAN

The 2023 IPLAN is community driven through the newly formed Skokie Health Equity Network. The network is using the following definition to guide the work, "Health Equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Our vision is to systematically assess disparities and remove obstacles to health in opportunities, outcomes, and representation by addressing them through building bridges and targeted actions." Adapted from Robert Woods Johnson Foundation and Urban Strategies Council

A Community Health Assessment (CHA) was conducted to gather local data on demographics, diseases, quality of life and social determinants of health. The Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) framework, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Association of City and County Health Organizations,  was chosen as the tool for the Community Health Assessment because it emphasizes the importance of both community input and partnership with a variety of stakeholders to improve the overall health and wellbeing of the population. 

A Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), or a measurable community driven action plan, is created once the data has been reviewed and priority issues are chosen. Highlights of the data were shared with community stakeholders at the Skokie Community Foundation's 3rd Healthcare Symposium -  Toward Health Equity in Skokie event in November 2022. After the data was reviewed, 3 priority issues were chosen to be addressed over the next 5 years. Collective impact, a community organizing framework to advance equity by learning together, aligning and integrating actions to achieve population and systems-level change, is the framework being used to develop and implement the CHIP. During the Toward Health Equity in Skokie event Paul Schmitz, senior advisor with Collective Impact Forum, provided an overview of collective impact. 

The priority issues chosen are Access to Healthcare, Access to Behavioral Health and Affordable Housing. If you have or are currently experiencing challenges with any or all of these issues, please complete this short survey. For more information contact Liz Nelson at 847-933-8494 or elizabeth.nelson@skokie.org.