McDonough and Winnebago counties are receiving funding from a state pilot program to address health disparities.
The Department of Public Health said this week that nearly $114,000 will go to Henderson County Rural Health Center in McDonough to support work with local partners to address health outcomes related to obesity, sexually transmitted infections and mental health.
Winnebago County Health Department will receive $118,000 to expand its workgroup to address health disparities around mental and behavioral health in Rockford.
The state-funded program is an extension of the department’s five-year plan to address public health in Illinois, specifically the priority that racism is a public health crisis.
“At its core, public health is about communities, and we are excited to see the innovative approaches McDonough and Winnebago counties are taking to address historic health disparities,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a statement. “IDPH looks forward to applying the lessons learned in this pilot program to future initiatives all across Illinois.”
The agency announced the grant opportunity last fall, saying it would prioritize proposals that promote collaboration to address certain services, like healthcare, public health, housing and transportation.