Cook County, IL is a diverse region with various options for access to key health services. The Cook County Department of Public Health provides residents with guidance on accessing public health services such as immunizations, mental health care, and disease prevention. In addition, the county is home to many hospitals and medical facilities that offer specialized care. These include major hospitals such as Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center Elk Grove Village, University of Chicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial, and Presence Resurrection Medical Center. Each hospital offers a comprehensive range of services from preventative treatments to complex surgical procedures. Other healthcare facilities in the area include medical centers and clinics that offer primary care services like routine checkups and screenings. Together, these provide Cook County residents with access to much-needed healthcare resources.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are 261 physicians per 100,000 population in Cook County. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Cook County area is 94.0 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
94.0 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Cook County area is 31 (100=best). The US average is 55.
31 / 100
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the Cook County area is 96 (100=best). The US average is 87.
96 / 100
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in Cook County commutes 32.9 minutes one-way, which is longer than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the Cook County area is 52 (100=best). The US average is 58.
52 / 100
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.