The Kendall County Health Department will focus on behavioral health, substance abuse, food security and maternal and child health as its health priorities for the next five years.

Health department officials gathered information from the public – including sending out a community survey to those who work or live in Kendall County – to help identify its top health priorities for its five-year Community Health Improvement Plan.

Every certified health department has a three-to-five-year Community Health Improvement Plan, which outlines how the department and community will address top health priorities.

In Illinois, this plan is called an IPLAN, which stands for Illinois Project for Local Area Needs.

The Kendall County Health Department recently shared the results of the community survey at its Community Health Summit Breakfast. Close to 500 people took the survey, said Executive Director RaeAnn VanGundy.

“That was our goal,” she said. “We wish we could have exceeded that.”

The department met with local leaders and organizations in July as part of its Community Partner Assessment Event, at which a variety of issues were discussed, including what actions could be taken to address health inequities.

About 80 people attended the event.

Health Department staff analyzed the information that was gleaned from the community survey and the survey that was conducted at the Community Partner Assessment Event.

The Community Health Improvement Plan 2021-2026 priorities include connecting the most vulnerable to assets that reduce socio-economic duress, supporting mental health and increasing community awareness to protect against vector-borne diseases, the department said.

Ticks and mosquitoes can transmit vector-borne diseases such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus.