Illinois Department of Public Health

Mission Statement

The Illinois Department of Public Health is an advocate for and partner with the people of Illinois to re-envision health policy and promote health equity, prevent and protect against disease and injury, and prepare for health emergencies.

Guiding Principles

We, as a diverse public health workforce, care about the well-being of people and are guided by the following principles:

• Prevention of disease and injury
• Protection of food, water, air and environment
• Promotion of safe and healthy communities
• Scientific approaches to analyzing and solving problems
• Partnership and collaboration to achieve coordinated response to community health issues
• Population-based strategies to address public health issues
• Individual responsibility as important to achieving healthy lifestyles
• Advocacy for public health policies to improve the health of populations
• Recognition of the unique value and needs of diverse populations
• Innovation as essential to the practice of public health