The Illinois Disability and Health Program is a collaboration initiated jointly by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the University of Illinois at Chicago. The goal of the program is to develop, sustain and support activities to improve the health and quality of life and reduce the risk of chronic disease and associated secondary conditions among persons with disabilities.

Funding for this program is provided through a federal grant from the Disability and Health Team, National Center on Birth Defects, Developmental Disabilities, and Disability and Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ACTIVITIES

Persons with disability are often susceptible to additional health conditions as a result of their primary disability. For example, precursors of common chronic diseases, such as physical inactivity, obesity, hypertension, and high cholesterol, are more prevalent among persons with disability than those without. Despite these higher health risks, persons with disability are often overlooked by health promotion and disease prevention efforts.
The Illinois Disability and Health Program receives funding to conduct the following core activities.

• Maintain and expand the Illinois Disability and Health Partnership composed of various stakeholders, such as individuals with disability, disability advocates, health service providers, state and local health agency representatives, and chronic disease-based advocacy groups.
  
  
• Implement activities outlined in the Illinois Disability and Health Action Plan that guide future efforts of disease prevention and health promotion for citizens with disability in the state.
  
  
• Facilitate integration of existing chronic disease and women’s health programs into statewide disability activities and assure their accessibility.
  
  
• Raise public and professional awareness regarding the importance of reducing chronic disease as a secondary health condition among persons with disability.
  
  
• Monitor the changes in prevalence of chronic disease, secondary conditions and quality of life in persons with disabilities