The DuPage County Health Department is pleased to announce for the third consecutive year, DuPage County has been ranked the healthiest county in Illinois according to the 2023 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. The county rankings, developed annually by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, are based on quality-of-life factors such as longevity and overall health status, including physical and mental health.

The county rankings are an easy-to-use snapshot that compares counties within states, demonstrating that where you live influences how well and how long you live.

“Being ranked as the healthiest county in Illinois for three consecutive years is a testament to the outstanding work of our Health Department, healthcare systems, and other providers in the County. Their efforts do not go unnoticed, and we are grateful for their dedication to providing access to healthcare and ensuring our residents can live the healthiest lives possible,” said DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy.

The rankings use more than 30 measures to help communities understand how healthy their residents are today (Health Outcomes) and what will impact their health in the future (Health Factors), which are used to measure the current overall health of each county in all 50 states. DuPage County has ranked number one in both categories since 2021 among the 102 counties in Illinois.

“We are grateful to be recognized again, as the healthiest county in Illinois by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.” Said Sam Tornatore, President, DuPage County Board of Health. “We thank our partners with whom we work in collaboration to maintain the health of our residents every day.”

To see the full 2023 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps report, visit https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/.

“The measures included in the County Health Rankings only tell a portion of the story, but we know there are many influences affecting how a person experiences health. At the DuPage County Health Department, we want to understand the stories and experiences in addition to the data,” said Karen Ayala, Executive Director of the DuPage County Health Department. “To accomplish this, we create meaningful relationships with our community partners to understand the barriers to health for all residents and work in partnership with those organizations to address health inequities. We understand not every resident in DuPage County does not experience optimal health, and so our work must continue.”

The healthiest county ranking is due to both the high-quality healthcare systems and services available to DuPage County residents, and, in part, to the robust county-wide and local-level partnerships. This includes Impact DuPage, a group of organizations, including DCHD, committed to creating a common understanding of community needs, gaps, and priorities that will advance the well-being of the DuPage County community. Impact DuPage has created a best-practice model for community assessment and community collaboration.

Examples of efforts to address these issues through Impact DuPage include the ongoing efforts of:

• The DuPage County Heroin/Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Taskforce and Prevention Leadership Team, to address substance use and mental health needs of residents.
• The Behavioral Health Collaborative (BHC) to improve the access and quality of behavioral health services for all DuPage County residents.
• The Healthy Equity and Access Response Team (HEART), which works to reduce health disparities through increasing health equity among DuPage County residents.
• The DuPage Early Childhood Collaboration (DECC) to ensure that every child enters kindergarten safe, healthy, ready to succeed, and eager to learn.

For the most up-to-date information on Impact DuPage and additional community coalitions, please visit www.impactdupage.org.

DCHD and our many partners across the county remain committed to the health of its residents and values the information provided by the 2023 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. It is only through efforts, at every level, working together, that we can make DuPage County a healthier place for everyone to live, learn, work, and play.