If you live in Illinois, your life is impacted every day by the work of your local public health department.    From food protection and disease prevention to emergency preparedness and sewage and water programs, public health departments aim to create safe, healthy communities for all of us.   Additionally, one out of every three households statewide receive direct services from a local health department, including:   §   WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) §   Family case management §   Childhood and adult immunizations §   Tobacco prevention and control §   Health education §   Access to health and dental care §   Services related to chronic diseases such as diabetes or asthma §   Family violence §   Injury prevention and farm safety §   Mental health services §   Support for healthy lifestyle choices §   Early cancer detection §   And much, much more.   For more than thirty-five years, the Illinois Association of Public Health Administrators (IAPHA) has been the voice of public health departments in Illinois.  We exist to promote and protect services that are critical to the health and safety of Illinois communities.

OUR CURRENT LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES   To strengthen health protection services by increasing the Local Health Protection Grant line to $24 million dollars. To protect the public from emerging threats, such as West Nile virus with continued funding of the Emergency Public Health fund. To improve the Public Health Infrastructure to protect the public from threats of Bioterrorism. To establish and Sustain Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs in order to promote child and adolescent health through full funding of programs in Illinois.