After over two years on the job, Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra last week laid out steps public health needs to take to address the challenges it faces. [Health News Illinois]

Vohra told members of the State Board of Health that IDPH is working during this relatively “calm” period post-pandemic to build the future foundation of the agency.

One step they're taking is to improve preparedness for any future outbreaks or novel pathogens. As an example, Vohra noted a new variant of mpox has started to spread in Africa and Europe. IDPH is evaluating its ability to respond if and when it comes to Illinois.

“Those efforts include making sure the state has the necessary resources to address the latest pathogens, as well as the community partnerships in place to aid in any response,” he said.

Another key is to “modernize” the public health system, including data management.

IDPH is also building up the public health workforce. And Vohra said they want to better invest in communities. 

He wants to improve community relations, a common refrain from the agency coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vohra said public health is “introducing ourselves again to the public.” 

Those efforts are not just to address mistrust of health officials and vaccines, but also to forge bonds with individuals and community organizations in areas that the health system has historically underserved.

And, while terms like “social determinants of health” have become more common, health officials need to better explain them to the general public, Vohra said. 

“We cannot do all of it by ourselves, but what we can do is be in a position where we are communicating that strategy of what public health is and what a public health approach is … so that we hit the root causes of many of the challenges that we face,” he said.

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