(a)The General Assembly finds the following:
(1)The Coronavirus pandemic that struck in 2020 caused more illness and death in Black, Latinx, and other communities with people of color in Illinois.
(2)Many rural and other underserved communities in Illinois experienced higher rates of COVID-19 illness and death than higher-resourced communities.
(3)The structural racism and underlying health and social disparities in communities of color and other underserved communities that produced these COVID-19 disparities also produce disparities in chronic disease, access to care, and social determinants of health, such as overcrowded housing and prevalence of working in low-wage essential jobs.
(4)Traditional public health data collected by existing methods is insufficient to help State and loc
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(a) The General Assembly finds the following: (1) The Coronavirus pandemic that struck in 2020 caused more illness and death in Black, Latinx, and other communities with people of color in Illinois. (2) Many rural and other underserved communities in Illinois experienced higher rates of COVID-19 illness and death than higher-resourced communities. (3) The structural racism and underlying health and social disparities in communities of color and other underserved communities that produced these COVID-19 disparities also produce disparities in chronic disease, access to care, and social determinants of health, such as overcrowded housing and prevalence of working in low-wage essential jobs. (4) Traditional public health data collected by existing methods is insufficient to help State and local governments, health care partners, and communities understand local health concerns and social factors associated with health. Nor does the data provide adequate information to help identify policies and interventions that address health inequities. (5) Comprehensive, relevant, and current public health data could be used to: identify health concerns for communities across Illinois; understand environmental, neighborhood, and social factors associated with health; and support the development, implementation, and progress of programs for public health interventions and addressing health inequities. (b) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall administer an annual survey, which shall be named the Healthy Illinois Survey. The Healthy Illinois Survey shall: (1) include interviews of a sample of State residents such that statistically reliable data for every county, zip code groupings within more highly populated counties and cities, suburban Cook County municipalities, and Chicago community areas can be developed, as well as statistically reliable data on racial, ethnic, gender, age, and other demographic groups of State residents important to inform health equity goals; (2) be collected at the zip code level; and (3) include questions on a range of topics designed to establish an initial baseline public health data set and annual updates, including: (A) access to health services; (B) civic engagement; (C) childhood experiences; (D) chronic health conditions; (E) COVID-19; (F) diet; (G) financial security; (H) food security; (I) mental health; (J) community conditions; (K) physical activity; (L) physical safety; (M) substance abuse; and (N) violence. (c) In developing the Healthy Illinois Survey, the Department shall consult with local public health departments and stakeholders with expertise in health, mental health, nutrition, physical activity, violence prevention, safety, tobacco and drug use, and emergency preparedness with the goal of developing a comprehensive survey that will assist the State and other partners in developing the data to measure public health and health equity. (d) The Department shall provide the results of the Healthy Illinois Survey in forms useful to cities, communities, local health departments, hospitals, and other potential users, including annually publishing on its website data at the most granular geographic and demographic levels possible while protecting identifying information. The Department shall produce periodic special reports and analyses relevant to ongoing and emerging health and social issues in communities and the State. The Department shall use this data to inform the development and monitoring of its State Health Assessment. The Department shall provide the full relevant jurisdictional data set to local health departments for their local use and analysis each year. (e) The identity, or any group of facts that tends to lead to the identity, of any person whose condition or treatment is submitted to the Healthy Illinois Survey is confidential and shall not be open to public inspection or dissemination and is exempt from disclosure under Section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act. Information for specific research purposes may be released in accordance with procedures established by the Department.