The Kane County Health Department has been selected to be a HealthyCommunity50 finalist, in the Healthiest Cities & Counties Challenge. As a finalist, the Health Department will receive a $10,000 community seed award to implement its “Achieving Genuine Community Engagement” program.

The Challenge, a partnership between the Aetna Foundation, the American Public Health Association and the National Association of Counties, will award $1.5 million in prizes to small- and mid-sized cities, counties and federally-recognized tribes that are able to show measurable change over the course of several years.

The Health Department was selected as a Phase II finalist in the challenge because it plans to realize measurable results in healthy eating and active living through community engagement with its program.

Participation in the Challenge comes at a critical time for the Kane County community. Through the Challenge, the Health Department will focus on health equity by increasing community engagement. KCHD plans to use this award as an opportunity to better engage individual residents in a manner that provides them with a larger say and more authority over program and funding decisions.

“Achieving Genuine Community Engagement” aims to ensure that everyone in Kane County, no matter their zip code, has a voice in determining public health efforts in their communities. In other words, to “give them a voice,” said Kane County Health Department Executive Director Barbara Jeffers.

“Frequently, a small group of people make all the decisions in a community,” Jeffers said. “We have a half-million unique individuals in Kane County, IL, and we are committed to giving everyone a voice.”

As a partner and advocate, the KCHD invites you to join the efforts to improve the health of residents in Kane County.

We encourage you to participate in the conversation by liking the Kane County Health Department Facebook page, or following the Health Department on Twitter at @KaneCoHealth,  and using the hashtag #HealthiestCitiesChallenge and #GiveKaneAVoice. More information is available at kanehealth.com.

To learn more about the Challenge, please visit the Healthiest Cities website. You can find more information, including a cool video, on this page of the Kane County Health Department website.