Health Updates and Data

[UPDATE x2: Coverage from yesterday's forum with local health officials on preparations and proactive steps being taken in regards to the Wuhan coronavirus and the need to be vigilant about the flu season in general. From Illinois Newsroom:

Health officials in Champaign County say they are ready, if any cases of the novel coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China should turn up locally. But they say no cases have shown up so far.

As of Tuesday, five cases of the coronavirus have been reported in the United States, with one reported in Chicago. In Champaign County, officials with the University of Illinois’ McKinley Health Center say they determined that one person showing possible coronavirus symptoms did not have the illness. The vast majority of reported cases are in China, with the World Health Organization reporting more than 4,593 cases as of Tuesday morning, including more than 100 deaths.

At a news conference at the U of I, McKinley Health Center director Robert Parker says he emailed each of the 146 students who came to the Urbana campus from Wuhan, with information related to the virus. He says several wrote back to say they had not traveled to Wuhan during the university’s winter break that ended last week, which means they are not at risk of bringing the virus with them. And for those who had traveled to Wuhan, Parker said several said they had decided to “self-quarantine” themselves.

Full article here. Illinois Newsroom has been adding updates at their information post here. WAND had an overview of the forum here with a video segment. There was additional coverage in the News-Gazette this morning here.]

[UPDATE: Another update on the local coronavirus response since I posted this earlier this morning from Illinois Newsroom:

Tomorrow, health officials in Champaign will discuss their response to the coronavirus at a forum on the University of Illinois campus. The forum will take place at 9:00 a.m. at the Fire Service Institute at 11 Gerty Drive. Champaign Urbana Public Health administrator Julie Pryde will answer questions. She’ll be joined by Robert Parker, the director of the U-of-I’s McKinley Health Center and Janet Jokela, the acting dean of the University of Illinois’ College of Medicine.]

First, the latest updates on the Wuhan coronavirus. The CDC's risk assessment has been updated to describe an important exception to the overall low risk to Americans in general:

The risk to individuals is dependent on exposure. At this time, some people will have an increased risk of infection, for example healthcare workers caring for 2019-nCoV patients and other close contacts. For the general American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus, the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV is considered low.

More at the CDC website here. The Daily Illini had an update on campus precautions yesterday:

After coronavirus spread to the United States, McKinley Health Center has been taking precautionary measures to make sure everyone on campus is healthy.

According to a Massmail sent around noon Monday, there have been five confirmed cases of coronavirus in four states, including one in Illinois.

Since then, one University student has shown possible symptoms, but it was determined to not have been coronavirus...
On Friday, McKinley started contacting students with a known connection to Wuhan City, China, where the virus first started. Some students who traveled home to Wuhan City have chosen to self-quarantine, monitor themselves or wear a surgical mask.

More at that full article here. The News-Gazette's eEdition had an update this morning noting the increased sales of face masks and other precautions given our international community:

“We know there are no symptomatic individuals right now in this community,” he said. The UI contacted students with a known connection to Wuhan City on Jan. 24, according to UI McKinley Health Center Director Dr. Robert Parker. All students coming to the health center with respiratory symptoms are being masked at the door and told about how to keep themselves healthy, he said in an updated email to the campus community Monday.

More at that article on A1 of the eEdition here (subscription). Previous updates on local reactions to the Wuhan coronavirus risk are available on the C-U Local Cheat Sheet here.


In other local government health news:

Our local health district administrator received an appointment from the governor. From the News-Gazette earlier this month:

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Administrator Julie Pryde has been appointed to a three-year term on the Illinois State Board of Health.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced seven appointees to the board on Monday, pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.

Full article here.

The C-UPHD also announced that they're gearing up for the latest local health assessment (the 2017-2020 assessment is available here with a treasure trove of data) with additional grant funding. From the News-Gazette a few weeks ago:

The newly awarded $10,000 federal grant is aimed at a more meaningful inclusion of the needs of people with disabilities in the next three-year community health needs assessment, according to the public health district Administrator JULIE PRYDE.

Historically, people with disabilities are under-represented in planning processes such as these, Pryde said...

The health district works with the Carle Health System and OSF HealthCare on a community-wide health needs assessment every three years.

That full article here. There was also an overview of the assessment and an interview with Pryde in Smile Politely last week:

When we first started collecting this data about 20 years ago, it was part of a requirement for the Health Department, and it was just sort of a joke.

It was just 10 people sitting around a table putting 10 things on paper and then putting the report on a shelf and do nothing with it. However, every year we try to do better with how we do it. We use a process called MAPP (Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships).

This year (as they prepare the 2021-2023 report), we are doing even more. We are going to start this month. And if you are interested in being on that group, we would love it. We try to get a huge array of people involved. Media is important. People don’t realize it, but the media is very important.

Full article here. The 2017-2020 assessment is available here and has a lot of data looking at different impacts to different neighborhoods, demographics, racial disparities, etc. The introduction explains the structure of the assessment and how it's put together:

The Champaign County Community Health Plan provides a current portrait of the health assets and needs of the residents of Champaign County. Illinois state law requires every local health department to participate in this process, called the Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs (IPLAN). This process must be conducted at minimum every five years. The detailed assessment and plan provides the foundation for evidence based health planning and decision-making.

The essential elements of IPLAN are:
1. An organizational capacity assessment;
2. A community health needs assessment; and
3. A community health plan, focusing on a minimum of three priority health problems. 

The Champaign County Community Health Plan was created using a model called Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP). This collaborative approach to community health planning was developed by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in cooperation with the Public Health Practice Program Office and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). MAPP helps communities form effective partnerships that can better identify their unique circumstances and needs and use their resources wisely.

Full assessment here. The C-UPHD's facebook page also highlighted the issue of redlining and the legacy that housing discrimination continues to have on health incomes in this article from Shelterforce. For more on segregation in the Champaign-Urbana area, check out this C-U Local Cheat Sheet post: C-U Segregation.


[This post has been updated. Originally posted at 8:11am on 1/28/20.]