Diana N. Derige, MPH¹, Regina M. Whitmore, MPH¹, Elissa J. Bassler¹, and Laura Landrum, MUPP². (1) Illinois Public Health Futures Institute, 100 W. Randolph 6-600, Chicago, IL 60601, (312) 814- 8854, dderige@idph.state.il.us, (2) Public Health Futures Illinois/c/o Illinois Dept of Public Health, Turning Point Collaboration, 100 W. Randolph, Suite 6-600, Chicago, IL 60601

The Illinois Public Health Futures Institute (IPHFI), a public/private partnership dedicated to maximizing the health, wellness and quality of life for the people of Illinois through prevention, recently created the Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Action Council (REHDAC) which is composed of key stakeholders including but not limited to; healthcare associations, faith-based groups, universities, minority health advocates, and state agencies. The Council collaborates on a systems approach to improve the health of racial and ethnic minorities in Illinois. Using the Healthy People 2010 goals and objectives as its benchmarks, the Council will develop strategies and recommendations addressing current minority health status, best practices, barriers to improving minority health, and the underlying determinants of health disparities.

To guide their direction, the Council engaged in a strategic planning process using the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) model. MAPP was chosen as the planning tool because it is a collaborative, community-driven process that helps to prioritize public health issues and identify resources for addressing them. The MAPP model was modified slightly with the assumption that members of the Council could represent the community they serve. In essence, the Council members became the “community” with which the four assessments and visioning process of MAPP were conducted. Results of the assessments and visioning process resulted in a goal-oriented strategic plan to guide the Council’s work. Using the MAPP process with a specific issue (racial and ethnic health disparities) and focus (state-wide systems issues) allows the Council members to focus their planning efforts.

Learning Objectives: