Theme for Conference is: "Mission Possible: Moving from Talk to Action in Advancing Health Equity"

CHICAGO - The Administration of Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today kick off a three-day Minority Health Conference in Naperville. The conference takes place as IDPH is working to implement the Healthy Illinois 2028 State Health Improvement Plan, which counts as one of its key pillars addressing racism as a public health crisis.

"The theme for this year's conference is straight forward: ‘Mission Possible: Moving from Talk to Action in Advancing Health Equity.' When it comes to achieving health equity, we are taking real action," Governor Pritzker said in a videotaped welcome. "One important achievement in this area is the implementation of my Birth Equity Initiative which is designed to close the tragic gap in maternal mortality between black women and other new parents."

The Governor's Birth Equity Initiative, announced as a top priority in his fiscal year 2024 budget, will invest approximately $23 million to address the historic racial disparities in birth outcomes through a variety of measures, including the distribution of Birth Equity Resource Building Grants to support community-based reproductive healthcare providers, and supporting birthing hospitals to improve outcomes through training, technical support, and risk-appropriate care.

"Addressing systemic health disparities is a core pillar of public health and one of IDPH's major priorities," said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra.  "This year's Minority Health Conference will greatly advance our cause, bringing together individuals and organizations deeply engaged in the critical work of understanding and innovating to build healthier, equitable, and more resilient communities.  I am excited for the conference to serve as a catalyst for action, furthering our goals of advancing health equity in every corner of our great, big, and diverse state." 

The conference at Northern Illinois University's Naperville campus assembles experts and health practitioners from across the state to share knowledge on health disparities and social justice issues; build competencies among healthcare professionals; and develop collaborations with service providers and community partners aimed at more effectively serving groups in Illinois that have been historically marginalized.

The conference will also acknowledge this year's recognition by the U.S Interior Department of the state's only federally recognized Native American tribe, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.

Megan Bang, a Professor of the Learning Sciences at Northwestern University and the Director of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research, will discuss "Partnering with Indigenous Peoples for our Collective Wellbeing."

 Josh Sabo, Executive Director of Heartland HOUSED, a Springfield area non-profit dedicated to creating equitable housing opportunities for underserved populations, will discuss the group's efforts to address homelessness in Springfield and Sangamon County. He will also discuss the recent "Illinois Homelessness Morbidity and Mortality Report 2017-2022," prepared for IDPH by the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health. The report found people experiencing homelessness are likely to have a significantly reduced life expectancy and are more likely to be the victim of a violent assault or homicide.

 Currently, four in ten Illinoisians are from racial and ethnic minority populations. However, disease burdens such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke, HIV, substance abuse, infant mortality, and COVID-19 infection and deaths rates remain higher among these populations. Working with its broad array of partners in the healthcare and social service provider community, IDPH continues to work towards stopping health disparities, accelerating health equity, and making Illinois a stronger and healthier state.

More information about IDPH's 2024 Minority Health Conference, including the full agenda, is available HERE.