Kane County Health Department welcomes Fox Valley Park District and City of Elgin to IRIS Referral System

The Fox Valley Park District and the City of Elgin, both of which offer scholarships for their recreational programs to residents who qualify, recently joined the Integrated Referral and Intake System (IRIS), managed by the Kane County Health Department.

IRIS is a free, web-based communication tool that helps organizations connect the individuals and families they serve to community resources.

Kane County IRIS has representation from 172 local organizations in multiple sectors including: mental health, primary care, dental, early childhood services, K-12 education, adult and juvenile probation, parenting resources, substance abuse services, employment resources, immigration and legal services, emergency shelter, and basic needs. And now, organizations offering discounted recreational opportunities.

Using IRIS, community organizations will now be able to connect families who meet income requirements with the Fox Valley Park District and the City of Elgin. Both organizations help residents participate in recreational programs that they may otherwise be unable to afford.

"Increasing opportunities for exercise is one of the priorities identified in our 2021 Community Health Improvement Plan, and we are pleased that area organizations can now connect families who would benefit from fitness services with these reduced-cost programs," said Michael Isaacson, executive director. "We welcome organizations who provide free or discounted services to individuals and families in Kane County to join the IRIS community."

Anyone who is interested in learning more about IRIS may attend their next quarterly meeting, to be held Monday, Nov. 13, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Register via kanehealth.com to obtain the Zoom link.

For more about IRIS, visit kanehealth.com/AOK/Pages/Initiatives-Pages/IRIS.aspx.

To learn more about the Community Health Improvement Plan, visit kanehealth.com/Pages/Community-Health-Assessment.aspx.