City of Blue Island Think Outside the Loop
The Planning Department has worked closely with Agency for Toxic Disease Registry (ATSDR), Cook County Public Health Department (CCPHD) and USEPA Region 5 Brownfields to establish a Community Health Monitoring Program for the City of Blue Island.
The Community Health Monitoring program has provided local residents the opportunity to identify public health and quality of life issues (such as the environment, safety, public & mental health, education, etc.) that most concern them. ATSDR then developed corresponding indicators that have allowed us to measure and track improvements in the community identified issues as we move ahead with our redevelopment plans.
Using the community identified public health concerns and the corresponding measures, ATSDR developed what they refer to as an “Action Model”. The Action Model is a 4-step process to assess local health issues and addresses the ways they can be measured and eventually improved. The 4 steps are:
1. What are the issues in the community?
2. How can redevelopment address these issues?
3. What are the corresponding community health benefits?
4. What data are needed to measure change?
- Action Model Draft – March 2010 ** Draft – Please do not cite**
- BICDD Presentation: May 9, 2009 Public Health Conference
- Improving Community Health: Brownfields and Health Monitoring [PDF, 203 KB] Environmental Practice, Volume 11, Issue 03, September 2009.
The Blue Island Community Health Coalition (BICHC) was formed through the Community Health Monitoring Program efforts. Visit behealthy.blueisland.org for more information or to get involved.
