Personal health literacy is the ability to obtain, read, understand, and use healthcare information in order to make appropriate health decisions and follow instructions for treatment.
Organizational health literacy is the degree to which organizations equitably enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.
A primary goal of the Council is to improve all areas of health literacy at both the personal and organizational levels within our community.
The Rockford Citywide Health Literacy Initiative, coined RockfordReady, aims to address health literacy, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and mistrust of the health care system among Rockford residents, through the context of social determinants of health. Additionally, there is an emphasis on Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx populations.
The Initiative will address these issues by engaging directly with local healthcare providers, community organizations and leaders, and community residents and empowering them to share credible, effective resources that will help increase COVID-19 vaccine adoption and improve communications between healthcare providers and patients.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) awarded a grant to the Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) in partnership with the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA) for 10 regions of Illinois to develop, cultivate, and strengthen community-based partnerships to reach populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in the targeted focus areas.
IPHA and IPHCA have partnered with CBOs and FQHCs to run grassroots-style campaigns focused on COVID-19 vaccination education, outreach, and administration in the identified communities of focus. The Rockford Regional Health Council was identified and sought after as one of these CBOs.
IRIS is more than just technology to connect families to the right services at the right time. It is also an approach that brings committed champions, partners, and policymakers together to build healthy communities. This program is people-powered, technology-enabled, and data-driven.
We are thrilled to be a part of the early stages of implementing IRIS in the Rockford area and highly encourage your involvement and support as this project grows!
Region 1 Planning Council is conducting a 2023 Healthy Community Survey on behalf of the Rockford Regional Health Council. This survey will help Rockford Regional Health Council’s Health Community Study in identifying trends in the health status of our region. A...
This list, provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health, identifies and explains new and frequently used terms used by health officials and media regarding vaccines and how to protect yourself during the pandemic. Isolation: When a person is infected with a...
See the full results here! Survey_Data_Report IVAX
Rockford Ready, in collaboration with Health Action Alliance, has hosted the Slow the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace Webinar on 10/19/22 to help Rockford employers slow the spread at their places of work.