Community Initiatives

The Integrated Referral and Intake System (IRIS) is a web-based tool to help organizations connect the families they serve to the right resources in their community. Referrals can be handled by any staff making referrals, including practitioners and reception staff. IRIS follows the referral through three stages: sent, accepted/rejected, & completed. Referrals are HIPPA compliant, encrypted, and secure, keeping your clients data safe.

IRS is an initiative of the Kankakee County Health Department, funded by the Kankakee County Board. IRIS was developed and designed by the University of Kansas and has a nationwide presence.

IRIS stands for Integrated Referral Intake System. Its mission is to close the loop of a referral and make communication between service providers easy and safe. IRIS is a web-based provider facing referral communication tool that can connect your practice to direct referrals in other sectors and realms of care. IRIS can be handled by any staff making referrals, including practitioners and front desk/intake staff. IRIS follows the referral through three stages: sent, accepted/rejected, and completed. All referral outcomes are reported and parties involved will be notified of any updates via mail. The referrals sent in IRIS are HIPPA compliant, encrypted, and secure. No personally identifying information is sent in IRIS and referral data stays between the two organizations involved. IRIS launched in Kankakee County on February 5th , 2024. There are forty-four other counties involved in an IRIS network in Illinois. Almost 65,000 referrals have been made in Illinois, and 110,000 referrals have been made across five states using IRIS. Contact: Kailee Zito Email: kzito@kankakeehealth.org Phone: 815-802-9442

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events experienced by children that can disrupt healthy brain development. Children who experience ACEs, which include violence, abuse, and neglect, are at significantly higher risk for mental and physical health issues as they become adults. Adults who experienced ACEs have a shorter life span than those who were not negatively impacted by ACEs. Trusting relationships for children exposed to ACEs can counteract negative effects on brain development, preventing lifelong negative mental and health consequences.

Trauma Informed Care is an organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma. Becoming trauma-informed means recognizing that people often have many different types of trauma in their lives. ~ The Trauma Informed Care Project

All agencies, organizations, or groups in Kankakee (and Iroquois) County are encouraged to take steps to become trauma informed as a way to support and improve the lives of children and adults living and working in Kankakee (and Iroquois) County. The following is a collection of state and national resources for agencies and organizations to promote and sustain trauma-informed care within their organizations.

Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative - A broad range of multi-sectoral stakeholders committed to expanding the understanding of trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their impact on the health and well- being of Illinois children, families, communities, and systems.

Illinois Collaboration of Youth (ICOY) - Trauma- Informed Care resources and trainings.

Illinois Department of Human Services - Resources to address traumatic events, with resources and tips for various sectors of the community, including faith-based communities.

Office of the California Surgeon General - Resources for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Toxic Stress and the Roadmap to Resilience report.

SAMHSAs Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach - A guide to implementing a trauma informed framework, including adherence to the key principles of a trauma informed approach.

United Way Fox Cities Trauma Informed Roadmap - Toolkit available that includes overview, organizational readiness self-assessment and five trauma-informed principles assessment.

PACEs Connection - Information exchange and resources to support ACEs initiatives, including online communities.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -  Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Leveraging the Best Available Evidence.

Join in community efforts to learn, discuss, address systemic racism, and pursue racial justice in our community. If your organization is hosting an event on this topic, please contact mariah@kanihelp.org so we can add your information to this page. 

Reading & Discussion Resources

Local Organizations Involved In Racial Justice Efforts

Partnership for a Healthy Community

The Partnership for a Healthy Community consists of local agencies and organizations, as well as community members that work collaboratively to identify health priorities and strategies to address these priority issues. In 2017, the third cycle of the MAPP (Mobilizing for Action for Planning and Partnership) was initiated by the Partnership for a  Healthy Community Steering Committee. The MAPP cycle is used to conduct the Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan.

Based on extensive analysis of the Community Health Needs Assessment, the following were identified as the three priority issues for Kankakee County for 2019-2021:

To learn more and get involved with this project, visit https://www.kankakeehealth.org/about/community-health-needs-assessment-and-improvement-plan/