Kane County Community Health
Kane County and community healthcare partners to develop new Community Health Improvement Plan
It's time for the health agencies in Kane County to seek input from residents on what they think are the top health priorities in their communities. That means that KCHD and its partners are in the process of completing a Community Health Assessment (CHA) and creating a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). The previous CHIP can be found through the county's health data portal, Kane Health Counts. Kane County's five county hospitals, Presence Mercy Medical Center, Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, Northwestern Medicine/Delnor Hospital, Rush-Copley Medical Center, and Advocate Sherman, along with the INC Board, have partnered with the department to develop the Community Health Assessment and collaborate on identifying and prioritizing the needs of county residents. The Health Department and its partners conduct a comprehensive Community Health Assessment every three years to identify the top health priorities in our community.  A phone survey is being conducted by a professional research firm, reaching out to 1,400 Kane County residents. The survey includes questions on health care access, health behaviors, mental health, preventative screening, and childhood development. The data collected helps to present a complete picture of the health status of Kane County. Results of the assessment will be used to develop a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) that helps agencies make Kane County a healthier place to live, work and play. Periodic health assessments help us examine changes to the health of our community and help Kane County residents lead healthy, happy, flourishing lives. Combined with planning, a community health assessment can be used to determine the overall health of the community and identify key health issues facing the community. This new data helps KCHD and other agencies adapt programming and resources to best meet the needs of Kane County residents.
For questions about the Kane County Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan, please contact the Health Department's Community Health Planner, Stacy Zeng.
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Kane County Recognized for Promoting Solar Energy
Kane County Designated "SolSmart Bronze" for Advancing Solar Energy Growth
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Photo by Mark Lopez, Argonne National Laboratory
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Kane County received a Bronze designation from the national SolSmart program for making it faster, easier, and more affordable for homes and businesses to go solar. A plaque representing this designation was presented to Kane County at Argonne National Laboratory on February 2nd with Congressman Bill Foster and Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti in attendance. Congratulations to the City of Aurora for achieving a Gold designation! This designation recognizes Kane County for taking bold steps to encourage solar energy growth and remove obstacles to solar development while providing an implementation tool for the Kane County 2040 Energy Plan, the Kane County 2040 Plan and the Kane County Operational Sustainability Plan. For companies looking to expand, a SolSmart Bronze designation is a signal that Kane County is "open for solar business." SolSmart is led by The Solar Foundation and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. More than 180 cities, counties, and small towns have achieved SolSmart designation since the program launched in 2016. 
To receive designation, Kane County developed a Solar in Kane County webpage that provides solar companies a checklist detailing the solar permitting process with the intention to reduce the time and money it takes to install a solar energy system; a Solar Statement expressing the County's commitment to becoming a more solar-friendly community; as well as Solar Resources for the Community. Also, the Kane County Development Department has trained planning and permitting staff on best practices and continues to review solar permitting process fees of similar designees. Kane County co-hosted a Solar and Renewable Energy Forum with the Fox Valley Sustainability Network (FVSN) and continues to participate in the FVSN's Energy Initiative.
As part of the SolSmart program, a team of national experts provides no-cost technical assistance to help communities achieve designation. All cities and counties are eligible to join the SolSmart program and receive this technical assistance. Interested communities can learn more at SolSmart.org.
The full press release was published in Kane County Connects. Questions on the SolSmart program can be directed to Kane County Executive Planner, Karen Miller.
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Fox River Summit
Summit to examine watershed management issues throughout the Fox River basin
A conference for individuals and organizations interested in the Fox River basin, which is shared between the states of WI and and IL, will take place March 23 at Veterans Terrace at Echo Park in the City of Burlington, Wisconsin. This event, called the "Fox River Summit - Celebrating Success and Addressing Challenges" will examine watershed management issues in both the Wisconsin and Illinois portions of the river basin. "A key goal will be continuing a dialogue between stakeholders in Wisconsin and Illinois on many shared topics including recreation, economics, sustainable flows, flooding, fishery, water quality and pollutant loadings," said Dr. Tom Slawski, President of the Southeast Fox River Partnership and conference planning team co-chair.
This event is being organized by the Southeast Fox River Partnership in collaboration with the Fox River Ecosystem Parternship, with financial support from the Southeastern Wisconsin Fox River Commission.
Shared challenges and topics featured in this Summit include: Record Flooding on the Fox River Summer 2017: Case Study in Burlington, WI; Oak Ecosystem Recovery in the Fox River Watershed (looking at the past to project the future); Fox River Park BioBlitz Results from June 2017 sampling; Collaborative Community Corridor Planning in the Fox River in the Counties of McHenry and Lake, Illinois; Update on the WI-IL Fox River Water Trail Initiative; Waukesha County Aquatic Invasive Species Strategic Plan; Urban Leaf Management Practices and Phosphorus Loading in Local Waterways, pilot projects in Madison, WI; Fox River Erosional Study, Bathymetric Mapping, and GoPro Adventure in Racine & Kenosha Counties, WI; The Economic Impact of the Huron River-Lessons learned for forming private-public partnerships to protect waterways in Michigan.
Registration $36.50 advance registration fee required (includes lunch)-online registration at website: https://www.southeastfoxriver.org/ . Advance registration deadline: March 22, 2017, ($50.00 day of, or at the door (Registration begins at 7:30am)- cash or check or credit card.)
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