Quality Quest for Health to partner with other organizations to focus on community health

Noting that improvements are needed in getting the Peoria area healthy, Quality Quest for Health is partnering with the Peoria City-County Health Department and the Heart of Illinois United Way to work toward that goal, the collaborative announced.

Shifting its strategic focus toward community and population health, said Quality Quest officials, will enable it and other organizations to help the area health care industry with health reform efforts going forward.

"The Quality Quest Board of Directors has been involved in a strategic planning process for several months. We looked at the work of other collaboratives around the country and at three local community health assessments to determine how Quality Quest can have the greatest impact in our area," said Dr. John Gilligan, board chairman.

"With healthcare reform requiring hospitals and physicians to do more reporting and quality improvement, it made sense to transition our future efforts to a community health focus," Gilligan said.

Quality Quest will partner with the Peoria City/County Health Department (PCCHD) and the Heart of Illinois United Way to focus on population health improvement within a six-county area in central Illinois: Stark, Putnam, Marshall, Peoria, Woodford, and Tazewell.

"There is a need for coordinated efforts to improve community health and Quality Quest is known for its role as a neutral convener. The $2.4 million federal Community Transformation Grant awarded to Quest on behalf of 18 collaborating organizations is a prime example of this convener role," said Michael Stephan, HOI United Way President and Quest board member.

As a result of this partnership, Greg Chance, public health administrator for the Peoria City-County Health Department, will become managing director of Quality Quest effective April 1. The Quality Quest offices will move to space at the Health Department, 2116 N. Sheridan Road in Peoria.

Chance has stepped down from his role as a Quality Quest board member.

"The Peoria County Board of Health has advocated for a community health system approach to achieve population health improvement within the region. This partnership with Quality Quest represents a unique opportunity to maximize resources and focus commitment in the development and initiation of collaborative strategies to improve community health," Chance said.

It was revealed recently that the counties affected by the move did not fare as well as hoped in the 2013 County Healthy Rankings report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The report examines the health and well-being of people living in nearly every county in the United States, including all 102 counties in Illinois.

The report examines 25 factors that influence health so that counties can see what is making residents sick or healthy, and how they compare to other counties in the same state. The chart below compares data from Marshall, Peoria, Putnam, Stark, Tazewell, and Woodford counties.

While Woodford County residents were among the healthiest in the state, ranking third among the 102 counties, other counties in the region were lower. Peoria County ranked 66th and Marshall County 64th.

The 2013 County Health Rankings report and online data can be viewed at www.countyhealthrankings.org.

"When we look at the most recent results of the County Health Rankings, we see there is plenty of opportunity for improvement and we believe Quality Quest can contribute to the efforts that are already underway," said Gilligan.