Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium receives national award

The Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium (which includes the Lake County Health Department) has received a national honor for excellence in public health communication from the National Public Health Information Coalition.

The Consortium won a bronze award in the category: Websites and New Media, for the development of Illinois Pandemic Flu.org, a robust repository of information on public health crisis communications, working with the media and public during a flu pandemic, incorporating social media into communications plans and helping at-risk populations during a health emergency.

"We are extremely proud that the premier nationwide voice of public health communication has recognized our work," said Maureen McHugh, Consortium President and DuPage County Health Department Executive Director. "After all, public health is about preventing illness and injury, and that means educating people to help them understand and reduce their individual health risks."

The site was originally created for public information officers, medical professionals and others who regularly communicate with the public during a public health emergency such as pandemic flu. However, the resource provides valuable health information for the public at-large, including important information about seasonal flu and flu prevention as well as hundreds of resources from trusted sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization.

Illinois Pandemic Flu was developed through a grant provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Illinois Pandemic Flu can be accessed at www.illinoispandemicflu.org or ilpanflu.org.

The Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium is a 501 (c)(4) membership organization of the public health departments that serve the counties of Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will, and Winnebago, as well as the City of Chicago and Village of Skokie. Its mission is to promote and protect the health of the region through networking and collaborative action that raises public awareness, builds constituency and influences legislation and policies concerning public health issues affecting northern Illinois.

The National Public Health Information Coalition is the leading national organization for public health communication professionals. NPHIC's ranks include public information officers, risk communicators and health educators at state, tribal and local health departments across the country. As the recognized voice of public health communication, NPHIC's award program offers gold, silver and bronze awards in more than a dozen public health communication categories.

"As a recipient of a NPHIC award, your department has been designated by an independent panel of judges as among the year's best in public health communication," stated NPHIC President William Gerrish. "Congratulations on helping NPHIC pursue our mission to 'make public health public.'"

Visit NPHIC's web site www.nphic.org for more information about NPHIC. To view winning entries in this year's awards program use this link: http://www.nphic.org/conferences/2011/awards-for-excellence.