We are pleased to present the Lake County Health Department’s 2015 annual
report. This report reflects the current accomplishments of our “Live Well Lake
County” 2013-2016 Strategic Plan. This plan is part of a big picture focused on
improving the quality of life of Lake County.
Partnerships and collaboration with a wide variety of organizations, including
hospitals, academic institutions and community organizations, play an integral
role in helping us meet our goals. As a member of the Lake County Opioid
Initiative, the Health Department helped save the lives of 45 people who had
overdosed on opioids in 2015. The Department secured a donation of 12,000
doses of naloxone, a medication used to reverse drug overdoses, and then
Tony Beltran
trained law enforcement officers of 35 departments to use it when responding to
calls of opioid overdoses. As a key player in Enroll Lake County!, the countywide effort to help residents access health insurance, the Health Department helped reduce the uninsured rate in Lake County from 11% in
2013 to 6% in 2015.
Anyone who lives or works in Lake County recognizes that health inequities, significant differences in health
status, exist. The Health Department’s new Health Equity initiative is coordinating efforts with various
community partners who want to help improve the health of their communities.
The integration of services helped us provide more complete care for patients. Our Outpatient Mental Health
program in Libertyville recently began offering primary care services to its patients, because mental health
patients are prone to die earlier than the general population due to lack of medical care. Many of our mental
health patients at the site are now receiving convenient medical care for the first time in years.
Our Strategic Plan does not stand by itself. It is aligned with the Health Department’s program performance
measures as well as the Lake County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). Our overall goal is to
achieve the highest level of health for all in Lake County. With our community partners and residents on
board, we continue to make progress toward that goal.
Sincerely,
Chief Timothy Sashko
President
Lake County Board of Health
Robert Tarter
Chair
Lake County Community
Health Center Governing
Council
Tony Beltran
Executive Director
Lake County Health Department/
Community Health Center
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