Overview

“Everything is health” is a common public health adage that supports this broad view of health by stating that all aspects and experiences of our lives impact the health of individuals, communities, and populations. All public policies impact health in some way, since they directly relate to how money, power, and resources are distributed—or concentrated—in society. In order to advance health equity, people need access to high quality, equitable education, well-paid and safe jobs, affordable housing, and freedom from discrimination and violence, among other important issues. As such, our legislative tracking is broader than most that focus solely on mental health, healthcare access, or education, as examples. What we hope our curated list of Illinois legislation will do is provide guidance for those who care about health equity and think through the lens of the structural determinants of health inequities—the policies and systems that lead to social stratification along the lines of education, income, and housing access—and thus causes inequities in health. If you have suggestions, please send them to info@hmprg.org with the subject line “Legislation Tracking.”