The University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System will begin a survey this month to identify the unique healthcare needs of the communities it serves -- from Humbolt Park and West Town in the north, to West Lawn and Englewood in the southern corners.
The University of Illinois Survey On Neighborhood Health, or UNISON Health, will survey 1,400 residents in 24 communities within the UI Health service area. The survey will be conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago's nationally recognized Survey Research Laboratory.
"Gathering community health data will help UI Health fulfill its mission of reducing health disparities in the communities we serve," says Dr. Jerry Bauman, professor of pharmacy at UIC and interim vice president for health affairs at UI Health. "By making the effort to find out how our neighbors are doing, what their health concerns are, and what kind of health care is most wanted, we can tailor our services to better meet the needs of the community."
Participants will be visited in their homes by trained field interviewers, who will collect information on health-related behaviors, such as smoking and exercise; health care access and utilization; prevalence of disease conditions such as diabetes and asthma; quality of life indicators; and knowledge of the Affordable Care Act.
"UNISON will provide a snapshot of the health needs of the population we serve," said Dr. Jerry Krishnan, professor of medicine and associate vice president for health affairs. "UNISON will help us to efficiently target our efforts and resources to improve health care, including planning, development and expansion of programs that address specific community health needs."
Participants will also be offered free health screenings and provided with information on the Affordable Care Act and how to sign up for health insurance through the new exchanges.
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