>> THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH IS DECLARING RACISM A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A RECENT REPORT, THE 5 YEAR PLAN KNOWN AS HEALTHY ILLINOIS.

2028 IS FOCUS FOCUSING ON ADDRESSING 5 KEY HEALTH ISSUES.

RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, CHRONIC DISEASE AND COVID-19 AND EMERGING DISEASES.

JOINING US NOW TO DISCUSS THIS REPORT AND MORE FROM SPRINGFIELD IS DOCTOR SAMIR VOHRA, DIRECTOR OF THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH.

DOCTOR VOHRA.

WELCOME BACK.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>> MY PLEASURE.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.

>> SO LET'S START WITH A VERY SIMPLE QUESTION.

IN WHAT WAYS DOES RACISM IMPACT PUBLIC HEALTH?

>> WELL, IN MANY WAYS, BRAND I THINK WHAT ALL OF US SAW DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WAS THAT THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT HEALTH DISPARITIES BEYOND JUST THINGS THAT WERE BASED ON THE BIOLOGY OF THIS VIRUS AND THAT CERTAIN GROUPS HIGHER RATES OF COVID-19 BASED ON THEIR RACE AND ETHNICITY.

WHAT WE ALSO KNOW IS THAT THERE ARE SUBSTANTIAL HEALTH DISPARITIES AROUND DIFFERENT GROUPS, ESPECIALLY BLACK AFRICAN AMERICANS, HISPANICS.

WHEN WE THINK ABOUT ISSUES HEART DISEASE, CANCER, DIABETES, KIDNEY DISEASE, ORDER TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES, WE TO CALL OUT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING BEYOND JUST THE DISEASE STATE THAT IS MAKING THESE DISPARITIES HAPPEN AND DECLARING RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS ALLOWS TO US TO EXPLORE THAT GET TO THE ANSWERS TO CLOSE THOSE GAPS AND DISPARITIES.

>> AND TO THAT POINT, YOU KNOW WHY NAME IT AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS IN ILLINOIS, PARTICULARLY WHY NOW?

SOME MIGHT SAY WHY NOT NOW?

NOT NOW, THEN BUT WHAT COULD CHANGE WITH THIS DESIGNATION?

>> PART OF IT, I THINK FIRST AND FOREMOST AND THROUGH LEADERSHIP OF THE GOVERNOR IS TO NAME IT AS AN ISSUE WITHOUT NAMING IT AS AN ISSUE, IT'S REALLY HARD TO SORT OF MOBILIZE THE PARTNERSHIPS, THE RESPONSES, THE POLICIES TO TURN IT INTO ACTION.

AND ONE OF OUR BIGGER VISIONS AROUND HEALTHY, ILLINOIS, 2028 IS TO ACHIEVE HEALTH EQUITY ACROSS ILLINOIS.

THE RULE ADDRESSING ROOT CAUSES OF DISEASE AND AROUND A UNIFIED VISION OR APPROACH HERE AT THE ONLY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH TO THAT WE'RE GOING TACKLE AND ACHIEVE HEALTH EQUITY IN CLOSE THOSE GAPS, MEANING IT HAS A PROBLEM WAS ESSENTIAL TO GET TO THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE WANT TO REACH AS THE STATE TO HELP THOSE GROUPS MOST IN NEED.

>> AMONG THE GOALS IN COMBATING RACISM IN PUBLIC HEALTH IS ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM AND AS CLIMATE CHANGE INTENSIFIES, WHAT KIND OF HEALTH IMPACTS ARE YOU EXPECTING?

YOU'LL NEED TO ADDRESS.

>> WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE HISTORICAL INEQUITIES IN PART OF THIS IS SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AROUND CLIMATE CHANGE.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS THAT MANY OF OUR COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE BEEN DESIGNED WHERE SOME OF THE ROUGHEST ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES EXIST IN PLACES AND IN COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE PREDOMINANTLY COMMUNITY.

IS THAT MINORITY ETHNICITIES AND RACES AND ONE OF THOSE ISSUES IS TO CALL OUT AS THE CHIEF STRATEGY THINKING ABOUT HOW CLIMATE CHANGE NOW AND MOVING FORWARD MIGHT ALLOW FOR WORSENING ENVIRONMENTAL OF FACTS AND CHARGED AN IMPACT TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO THOSE ISSUES.

>> HOW WOULD YOU SAY COMMUNITIES OF COLOR ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE?

>> PART OF IT IS THAT COMMUNITIES OF COLOR OFTEN ARE AT MOST RISK OR THINGS LIKE ASTHMA BASED ON AIR POLLUTION OR THERE CERTAIN SPECIFIC EITHER RESTRICTIONS OR CERTAIN DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHY IS THAT ARE MORE PRONE, SEEING THE CHALLENGES OF DISASTER, ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OR EVEN THE SPREAD OF DISEASE.

AND WE WANT TO TAKE THE RIGHT KIND OF ASSESSMENT BOTH THROUGHOUT NEIGHBORHOODS IN CHICAGO.

BUT THEN ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE STATE TO KNOW WHERE THOSE BIGGEST RISK ELEMENTS ARE SO THAT WE CAN PUT THE RIGHT RESOURCES INTO PROTECTING THOSE COMMUNITIES.

>> THE OTHER 4 PRIORITY AREAS DESIGNATED BY THIS FRAMEWORK.

WE MENTIONED HIM EARLIER, BUT OF MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, CHRONIC DISEASE AND COVID-19 AND EMERGING DISEASES.

YOU KIND OF TOUCHED ON THIS IN THE BEGINNING, DOCTOR, BUT WOULD YOU SAY THAT RACISM IS AN UNDERCURRENT?

ALL OF THESE ISSUES?

>> IT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF EACH OF THESE ISSUES AND WE WANTED TO BOTH ONE SAY THAT PART OF THIS PLAN IS TO ADDRESS MANY OF THE CROSS CUTTING ISSUES.

BUT FACT, ALL ASPECTS OF OUR HEALTH.

BUT WE ALSO FELT IMPORTANT NOT TO JUST SAY THAT THIS WAS A CROSS CUTTING ISSUE, OUT A LIMITED IMPORTANCE IS ONE OF OUR TOP 5 PRIORITIES BECAUSE IT'S REALLY ESSENTIAL TO GETTING TO THAT PLACE WHERE WE'RE ACHIEVING THE VISION OF HEALTHY.

ONLY 2028 IN ACHIEVING HEALTH EQUITY CONCENTRATING ON THOSE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR THAT WE KNOW ARE MOST AT RISK FOR ALL OF THE ISSUES THAT WE'RE PRESENTING IN THE STATE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN.

>> WHAT'S NEXT FOR THIS PLAN?

DOCTOR VOHRA WHAT SORT OF YOU KNOW, STEPS CAN WE SEE THE STATE IMPLEMENTING TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE?

>> WE HAD, YOU KNOW, THE GREAT PLEASURE TO SUBMIT THIS PIE AND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AT THE END OF 2023.

IN PART OF IT FOR ALL OF YOUR LISTENERS, WE WANT THIS PLANNED TO BE A ONE, WE'RE ENGAGING WITH STAKEHOLDERS, COMMUNITY LEADERS.

HOW DO WE CREATE THE COMMUNITY LED COMMUNITY BUILD SOLUTIONS TO GET TO OUR GOALS AND BEGINNING TO DO IS CREATE THE ACTION PLAN.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES TO TURN THIS FROM A DOCUMENT TO SOMETHING THAT REALLY CREATES A KIND OF CHANGE THAT WE WANT TO ESPECIALLY LEARNING THE LESSONS THAT WE LEARN FROM THE HEIGHT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

>> HOW YOU HOW YOU MEASURE SUCCESS.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF WE'VE DEFEATED RACISM IN PUBLIC HEALTH?

>> WELL, I'D SAY THAT THESE ARE LARGE AMBITIOUS GOALS AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE VERY PROUD TO PUT IN FRONT.

BUT I THINK VERY HONESTLY, KNOWING THESE ARE GENERATIONAL CHALLENGES.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO CREATE WITH THESE ACTION TEAMS THAT HOW DO WE BECOME REALISTIC WITH OUR MEASUREMENTS KNOW THAT THIS IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT, BUT IT'S A JOURNEY THAT WE CAN ALL TAKE TOGETHER AND MAKING SURE THAT WE WORK WITH THOSE TEAMS TO CREATE THE RIGHT MEASURABLE ACHIEVEMENT IS TO SHOW THAT PROGRESS CAN BE MADE.

MATCH AMBITION WITH REAL TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE'RE IMPROVING.

THE HEALTH OF OUR RESIDENT.

>> AND OF COURSE, WE WE'VE GOT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT COVID-19 WHILE WE'VE GOT YOU DOCTOR VOHRA ITS BACK ON THE RISE.

SOME HOSPITALS ARE RE IMPLEMENTING SOME MASKING VISITING LIMITS.

WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE STATUS OF COVID-19 RIGHT NOW.

>> WELL, THE TRUTH IS IT IS THE WINTER SEASON.

WE'VE OUR HOLIDAYS AS WE CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR, WE'RE ELEVATED RATES ALL OF THE VIRAL ILLNESSES THAT PLAGUE US TURNED WINTER SEASON COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE MEDIUM LEVEL ACROSS THE STATE.

REACHED A MEDIUM LEVEL THROUGHOUT TO CHICAGO IN CHICAGO LAND AREA AS YOU SAID, DIFFERENT HOSPITALS ARE PUTTING MASK REQUIREMENTS THAT WE KNEW RECOMMENDED AS TRAJECTORY FOR SYSTEMS IN MID DECEMBER.

I THINK THE BIGGEST THINGS FOR EVERYBODY LISTENING LET'S KEEP DOING THOSE THINGS THAT WE LEARNED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WASH YOUR MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GOOD VENTILATION.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO GET YOUR VACCINATION ON.

ALL 3 OF THE VIRUS IS RSP COVID-19 HULU AND YOU MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU'RE IN A CROWDED PLACE, THAT MASK IS A TOOL THAT CAN HELP PROTECT YOU.

ALL OF THOSE IMPORTANT LESSONS THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO TO KEEP OURSELVES OUR LOVED SAFE DURING HEIGHT OF VIRAL SURGE AND VALE REPS RESPIRATORY SEASON.

>> OKAY.

IT PH DIRECTOR DOCTOR SAMIR BORA, THANK YOU SO MUCH