PRIORITY HEALTH CONCERNS -
USE OF ILLICIT DRUGS/MISUSE OF LEGAL DRUGS
Use of illicit drugs cause harm to both the individuals through increased risk of injury, disease and death and to communities through increased injuries and decreased community safety. Non-medical use of over-the-counter and prescription drugs is high, particularly among youth. Misuse of legal drugs can lead to injury, addiction and death. Accidental misuse of legal/prescription drugs also poses a health threat, particularly among the elderly who may be using many prescriptions that interact and cause unintentional injury. Therefore, the public health system should work to:
- Decrease the use of illegal drugs among adults and adolescents.
- Decrease the unintentional and intentional misuse of legal drugs.
Strategic Issue:
How can the Illinois public health system monitor priority health concerns and risk factors and implement effective strategies to reduce them?
Long-Term Outcome:
1. Decrease the use of illegal drugs.
Intermediate Outcomes:
- Reduce past-month use of illicit substances.
- Increase proportion of adolescents who remain drug free.
- Reduce the number of children who start using drugs at an early age.
- Assess the effectiveness of existing programs targeting illegal drug use.
Long-Term Outcome:
2. Decrease the misuse of legal drugs.
Intermediate Outcomes:
- Reduce past-year non-medical use of prescription drugs.
- Increase the use of electronic prescribing by health care providers.
- Better inform the public about the potential dangers of over-the-counter medications.
- Prevent misuse of prescription drugs among the elderly.
PRIORITY HEALTH CONCERNS - MENTAL HEALTH
There is a clear connection between mental and physical health; mental health is fundamentally important to overall health and well-being. Mental disorders affect nearly one in five Americans in any given year; these are real illnesses, that, when left untreated, can be just as serious and disabling as physical diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Therefore, the public health system should work to:
- Prevent mental illness and intervene early with those at risk of mental health issues.
- Increase treatment of mental health issues in the most appropriate setting.
Strategic Issue:
How can the Illinois public health system monitor priority health concerns and risk factors and implement effective strategies to reduce them?
Long-Term Outcome:
1. Increase prevention and early identification of mental health issues and those at risk for mental health issues.
Intermediate Outcomes:
- Increase the training to conduct and delivery of mental health screenings across the lifespan by primary-care providers.
- Increase mental health education and screenings in primary care settings and schools for adolescents by professionally trained personnel.
- Increase mental health data collection, monitoring and utilization for policy formation and program development.
- Increase resources and funding within community and school-based programs to support children, adults, and families.
Long-Term Outcome:
2. Increase the proportion of those persons with mental health problems and disorders who receive early treatment in the appropriate settings utilizing best practices.
Intermediate Outcomes:
- Increase the number of children and adolescents with mental health problems and disorders who receive early treatment in the appropriate setting.
- Increase the number of adults with mental health problems and disorders who receive treatment in the appropriate setting.
- Increase the number of homeless and incarcerated persons and veterans with mental health problems who receive treatment.
- Translate and monitor the use of evidence-informed and evidence-based practices into the delivery of mental health services.
- Increase the proportion of those persons with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health problems who receive treatment for both.
- Increase resources and funding of community mental health and social services to support persons with mental health problems across the lifespan.
- Increase the integration of mental health services within primary care settings and vice versa.
- Leverage electronic health records or create other mechanisms to share patient data across systems of care.
Long-Term Outcome:
3. Reduce suicide attempts and suicide rates across the lifespan.
Intermediate Outcome
- Implement the strategies identified in the state Suicide Prevention Plan
