Health

Health

OUR CHALLENGE: In the next few decades, life expectancy will shorten by up to five years — the first time in modern history that parents are expected to live longer than their children.¹ Chronic disease is responsible for 56% of deaths in Illinois — largely from premature, preventable heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.² It doesn’t have to be this way.

Access to quality, integrated health services and addressing the common underlying factors of chronic disease — healthy eating and physical activity — are key to the health of our community.³ However, low income populations experience dramatically worse access to necessary care than their higher income counterparts.⁴ And in Illinois, less than half of us engage in the recommended amount of physical activity, and only a quarter of us eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables daily.⁵ Only by focusing on the underlying factors that lead to early death can we increase the number of households living longer, healthier lives.

OUR STRATEGY:

• Stabilize families and individuals in immediate crisis
• Mobilize our community to create safe places and a healthy environment
• Increase physical activity and healthy eating behaviors
• Reduce barriers to health care access by connecting people to consistent primary care, mental and social health services

OUR INVESTMENT: United Way of Metropolitan Chicago invested nearly $12.4M to help people get connected to comprehensive health care service, crisis support and preventive care in FY 2009.