A recently completed health needs assessment identified four areas for improvement.
Nick Swope with the McDonough County Health Department led the study. Swope said they set out to identify three health priorities but couldn’t narrow the field past four.
“These are four really important areas that the community health committee found that could improve the lives and the quality of life for individuals here in McDonough County,” Swope said.
The health priorities identified for McDonough County include:
- Improve access to mental health services
- Provide dental care to low income residents
- Obesity prevention efforts
- Increase availability for sexual health medical care
Swope said the committee was looking for health needs that would be impact the overall well-being of residents in multiple ways. For example, he said focusing on obesity prevention will also help combat heart disease, which is the number one killer of McDonough County residents.
“By working on obesity prevention -- that includes nutrition, exercise, creating active spaces for individuals. It's cross-cutting through many health areas like heart disease,” Swope said.
The committee that worked to identify health priorities consisted of a variety of community members who worked in both local public agencies and the private sector.
The public was invited to participate through the health department's photo voice project. Participants were encourage to submit a photo taken in the county that answered the question: "What is health and how does it impact me?"
The committee will continue to meet through the spring to identify actionable steps that can be taken to meet those goals.
“I think we can do a better and even a more thorough job of trying to address all of the roots of each one of these health priorities,” Swope said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health requires every health department in state to complete The Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs or IPLAN once every five years.
McDonough County’s IPLAN will be submitted to the state for review in May.
