NIPHC

The Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium, Inc (NIPHC) is a 501(c)(4) organization representing the public health departments of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will and Winnebago Counties, and The City of Chicago. It is dedicated to promoting and assuring the health of people and communities through an effective local public health system by:

Representing, speaking for, and acting on behalf of local public health departments.
Promoting a local public health perspective in regional, state and national health programs and fiscal policies.
Supporting public health systems for the purpose of improving health status.
Developing the technical competence, managerial capacity, and leadership potential of the public health workforce.
Promoting a shared vision of public health and leadership with other organizations for the purpose of improving health systems and/or health status.
Serving as an exchange point for information and ideas to help keep local health officials informed and current.
Promoting partnerships among federal, state and local health officials.

The Northern Illinois health departments have experienced the added value of working together on common concerns. The executive directors of the eight health departments meet monthly to address issues. Following are some of NIPHC's recent efforts:

Worked together to increase Local Health Protection Grant (LHPG) funding since 2000 and contain losses in tobacco funding.
Prepared a comprehensive regional bioterrorism plan, demonstrating to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) the ability to plan and act regionally, particularly appropriate for bioterrorism. As a result, CDPH hired a bioterrorism coordinator for the NIPHC region out of a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) grant.
Shared expertise and provided mutual assistance, e.g., Chicago as a resource to other departments on bioterrorism. Chicago and Cook County Departments of Public Health developed a common strategy for the West Nile virus outbreak.

Sixty-seven percent of Illinois' population reside in the NIPHIC region. The region is home to more than 300,000 companies and more than 8 million people. It is home to the headquarters of 34 Fortune 500 corporations. The leading economic sectors in the area include financial services, electrical machinery and equipment, insurance, pharmaceuticals and retailing. The center of the region, the City of Chicago, is the economic and cultural capital of the Midwest. The surrounding suburban communities, taken by themselves, would represent the nation's fourth largest metropolitan area.

NIPHC's Board of Directors includes:

John L. Wilhelm, M.D., M.P.H.

Commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health

333 South State Street, Room 200

Chicago, IL 60604

wilhelm_john@cdph.org Website: Chicago Department of Public Health

Stephen A. Martin, Jr., Ph.D., M.P.H.

COO, Cook County Department of Public Health

1010 Lake Street, Suite 300

Oak Park, IL 60301

samarti@cookcountygov.com Website: Cook County Department of Public Health

Leland Lewis, BS, MBA