Community Benefit Programs

This is a sampling of the SIH Charitable Programs that are provided in the community. For more information contact the staff listed below.

School Health Programming 

The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child, or WSCC model, is CDC’s Framework for addressing health in schools. The WSCC model is student-centered and emphasizes the role of the community in supporting the school, the connections between health and academic achievement and the importance of evidence-based school policies and practices. The 10 components of the model include: Physical education and physical activity, Nutrition environment and services, Health education, Social and emotional school climate, Physical environment, Health services, Counseling, psychological and social services, Employee wellness, Community involvement, and Family engagement.

Through work with the Illinois CATCH onto Health Consortium, SIH collaborates with schools to provide resources to promote health and learning. Staff assist school personnel with assessment, training, program planning, implementation, and evaluation using the WSCC Expanded Model for Coordinated School health as the framework.

SIH works directly with local schools through school wellness committees, School Health Index assistance, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Hidden in Plain Sight, Signs of Suicide Program, and Coordinated Approach to Child Health programming such as CATCH my Breath, Health Ed Journeys, PE Journeys, and more.

To learn more about school health programs, click here.

Community Health Programming

SIH Community Benefits Department’s Community Health Programs are designed for anyone residing in the lower 16 counties of Illinois. These evidence-based initiatives focus on the SIH priority health issues: Social Determinants of Health, Behavioral Health, and Chronic Disease Prevention, Management, and Treatment.

• Healthy Southern Illinois Delta Network (HSIDN) 
• Take Charge of Your Health: Live Well, Be Well
  • Diabetes Self-Management Program
  • Chronic Disease Self-Management Program
• Prevent Diabetes Today Program
• Tobacco Cessation - Courage to Quit Program
• Illinois Tobacco Quitline
• Adult Mental Health First Aid
• Camp B.E.T.A | Camp for Youth with Type 1 Diabetes
• Nutrition Education & Healthy Cooking Demonstrations | Mobile Kitchen
• Community Outreach, Wellness Screenings and Education
• Medical Legal Partnership of Southern Illinois (MLPSI)

To learn more about the individual programs, click here.

Addressing the Opioid Crisis in southern Illinois

As the impact of the opioid crisis has dramatically increased across the nation, southern Illinoisans are also seeing the negative effects of this trend. According to the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program, southern Illinois has higher rates of patients being prescribed an opioid and higher rates of overlapping opioid prescriptions as compared to other regions. Prescribers in southern Illinois also prescribe more opioids of 90 morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) per patient per day than any other region in Illinois. SIH has been working collaboratively with stakeholders to address the drug and opioid epidemic in southern Illinois.

One way we are working to reduce the sharing of prescriptions is by providing free medication disposal drop-off locations in SIH hospitals (Carbondale Memorial, Herrin Hospital, St. Joseph's Memorial) and the SIH Cancer Institute. Thousands of pounds of medications have been disposed of since the program began.

Outside of the hospital walls, SIH has partnered with many agencies and organizations in the community to address the opioid crisis. A Substance Abuse Resource Guide has been developed (hsidn.org/resources).  Numerous town hall meetings, educational activities, trainings, certification courses, action team, coalition, and substance abuse task force meetings have been held. SIH staff are providing Narcan and training targeted to medical First responders and law enforcement.  Staff are also participating in action teams and coalitions to address the crisis.

To learn more about the Opioid Crisis in Southern Illinois, click here.

To find SIH Locations to pick up NARCAN, click here.

Southern Illinois Tobacco Disparities Partnership | SITDP

Illinois Department of Public Health through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention receive funding for the Tobacco Cessation Disparities Program. The program represents the 16 counties in the southern Illinois region.

Through collaboration with the Healthy Southern Illinois Delta Network, Southeastern Illinois Tobacco-Free Alliance, Southern Illinois Tobacco Prevention Partnership, SITDP was created. The Partnership is made up of local health departments, community-based organizations, and those employed in health care services.

To learn more about STIDP and its action teams, click here.