A brief overview
A comprehensive three-county needs assessment, the Rockford Healthy Community Study was completed in 1999 and was updated in 2003. This study provided a wealth of new data and information about the overall health of the greater Rockford area, including Boone, Ogle, and Winnebago Counties.
A collaboration between the Healthy Community Initiative and the Rockford Health Council, this assessment was completed by the United Way of Rock River Valley and the Winnebago County Health Department.
The analysis and report were completed by the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford. Funding was from the three Rockford hospitals, Saint Joseph Hospital of Belvidere, the Rockford Park District, City of Rockford, and the Rockford Community Foundation.
Access to dental care
Recent exams of children in 23 Rockford schools found that one of seven
needed urgent care.
Access to medical care
23% of single parents needed care in the past two years that they did
not receive for themselves or a family member. Financial factors were
the usual reasons for not getting care.
Alcohol & Drug abuse
In the 1997 Behavioral Risk Survey by IDPH, 30% of adults in Winnebago
County had five or more drinks on at least one occasion in the past
month, twice the state level for urban counties.
Black male health
63% of black males who died locally in 1997 were under 65.
Cardiovascular Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Winnebago County.
Childhood immunizations
Only 59% of Rockford school students are properly immunized when they
are two years old.
Diabetes
Diabetes is the third leading reason for physician visits in Winnebago
County, over 23,000 annually.
Infectious diseases
Nearly 1,000 persons are infected with chlamydia each year, but a large
portion of the population is not familiar with this disease or other
sexually transmitted diseases.
Maternal and infant health
8.8% of infants are of low birth weight—higher than both the state
and the nation. Two years ago the figure was 7.4% locally.
Mental health
18.9% of the population considered professional help for a personal
or emotional problem in the past year.
Redevelopment of 61104
30% of residents of this area had their property vandalized in the past
year and 30% had their car broken into.
Respiratory diseases
1,556 students in the Rockford Public Schools were identified by school
nurses last year as having asthma.
