Extensive services for enhancing the planning and implementation capabilities of local governments and private sector clients.
Contact
Roger Dahlstrom @ rkd@niu.edu, 815.753.0932 or
Norman Walzer @ nwalzer@niu.edu, 815.753.0933
This report represents a year-long collaboration among economic development and business leaders in Carroll, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, and Whiteside counties to identify potential economic development strategies and projects. The findings are based on personal interviews with business leaders, electronic surveys of businesses regarding compensation issues, and phone interviews of residents about status and availability for employment changes. Considerable attention was paid to workforce characteristics and whether population changes will challenge the ability of employers to hire workers in the future. All of the information collected contributed to understanding the ways in which the region can position itself to start, retain, and attract businesses.
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As health care budgets tighten and professional
resources become more limited, critical access
hospitals (CAHs) may need to consider collaboration
as an option to maintain local viability, allowing
CAHs to continue providing access to care and quality
services for their rural residents. Collaborative
health care models are becoming commonplace in
today's health care vocabulary, and already several
Midwest CAHs in six states are participating in
these types of models. This paper will describe
the experiences of these CAHs through survey
findings and highlight effective approaches taken
to achieve successful rural collaboration. The paper
will also identify issues that precipitate discussions
about collaborative partnerships and explain what
may or may not change as collaborations become
more formalized. In addition, implementation of
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is
accelerating discussions about collaboration among
providers in an effort to move to a quality, outcome-based
care system as opposed to a volume-driven
payment system. CAHs will need to determine
which collaborative initiatives are the best match
for their organizations and recognize that important
unique challenges exist in addressing the long-term
sustainability of rural providers.
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Critical access hospitals (CAHs) are essential to rural health care and play an important role in its delivery as a safety net for rural patients. While CAHs operate in a challenging environment, this report focuses on the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN) and Illinois CAHs committment to provide high quality health care despite limited resources, both financial and personnel. Illinois CAHs rank high on several nationally measured patient outcomes, patient satisfaction indicators, and provide a high value, affordable option for rural patients. They are also exploring "rural relevant" measures that consider the distinct characteristics of rural health care delivery, while continuing efforts to increase the number of CAHs reporting on all national measures, and prepare for upcoming required reporting. ICAHN and Illinois CAHs recognize that the effort to accomplish meaningful quality of care outcomes is major, but delivering effective care will benefit patients, hospitals, and the community as a whole.
This regional business and economic analysis focuses on rural West Whiteside County and is based on research, data analysis, and a local business survey conducted in the Spring, 2010. The need for change and a regional vision for WWC are clear. The communities of Fulton, Morrison, and Prophetstown are currently working with the Center for Governmental Studies at Northern Illinois University, funded in part by United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, to identify potential local business opportunities and ways to retain and expand current businesses in the region. The report identifies strengths of the region, obstacles to expanding production, and an economic development agenda to improve local business activity in the region.
The Illinois Critical Access Network (ICAHN) is a not-for-profit entity that works with member critical access hospitals to share resources, provide education opportunities, promote operational efficiency and improve health services in their respective communities. In 2006, ICAHN partnered with the Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) at Northern Illinois University (NIU) to analyze the economic impact critical access hospitals (CAHs) generate in Illinois. This project builds on that work.The current project updates information on the effects of CAH designation on various aspects of CAH operations, including revenues and expenditures. This report examines four additional areas: the current economic condition of CAHs and services provided; the impact of the current recession and CAH responses; the economic impact of CAHs on their communities, regions, and statewide; and CAHs adaptation to technology, organizational and personnel changes, and related trends.
Welcome to Market Facts 2010, the 13th edition of the annual publication designed to provide a wide array of local economic development information for northern Illinois counties. The Center for Governmental Studies is proud to present these data for civic leaders, policy makers, community leaders, business people, researchers, libraries and the media for the 22 counties across Northern Illinois. We provide these data to help both public and private decision makers have easy access to a wide range of social and economic data sets that describe the many patterns of development at work in our region.
View the Regional Summary here || View the 2010 Marketfacts here
Counties are often overlooked as an important provider of local public services even though all residents benefit from them. Illinois counties finance and deliver essential state services such as the court system and local elections as well as public safety and public health, among others. Because many counties have been undergoing a transition due to the recession and long term economic changes, it is important to take the pulse of county government on important issues facing their elected board members and commissioners.
This report describes the results from three separate surveys in 2008 and 2009 conducted in conjunction with the Illinois Association of County Board Members and Officials, the Illinois Association of County Engineers, and during the Illinois Farm Bureau Governmental Affairs Legislative Conference. The issues raised were developed in conjunction with the agencies represented and will shed light on some of the main issues they face.
Analysis and projection of service demands are at the base of most major planning decisions. As forecasts of the extent and the pace of growth, projections allow service providers to "see" probable future development patterns and to identify and consider current planning issues accordingly.
The erratic trend of land development over the past decade combined with the cyclical nature of the land development industry complicates the projection process. However, while those forces often support relatively conservative assumptions, they do not alter the geographic dynamics of service areas likely to experience continued development.
Although service area studies are sometimes prompted by operational planning, most are undertaken in support of capital improvement planning. New capital investment generally implies a significant commitment of resources over an extended period of time, and careful consideration requires an exhaustive analysis of potential service demands in the future.
The Center for Governmental Studies (CGS) at Northern Illinois University (NIU) has extensive experience in conducting service area studies. Analytical techniques include, but are not limited to, advanced application of geographic information systems (GIS), unique site and land capacity modeling capabilities, cohort component population projection, and various forms of growth management planning.
Service area studies have been conducted for clients as follows:
Service area studies can take several forms. Often, a projection of demand units focuses on population (e.g., Valley West Community Hospital Service Area Study), however, it is sometimes necessary to project growth of physical improvements such as dwelling units and square footage of non-residential land uses (e.g., Nicor Gas). The Center for Governmental Studies has the proven capability to manage the analytical tasks required for many forms of service area study.
Questions regarding service area studies should be directed to:
Roger K. Dahlstrom, AICP
Assistant Director and Senior Research Associate
Telephone: 815.753.0932
E-mail: RKD@niu.edu
The City of Belvidere was experiencing land development pressures that were impeding its ability to maintain its capital facility standards. The City’s leaders needed a more accurate projection of future growth and an analysis of how growth would affect the demand for capital facilities.
CGS developed an innovative approach for projecting growth that blends historical data with information from comprehensive plans, other reports and development-related documents, and interviews with key stakeholders. This information is combined with our knowledge of how growth affects such municipal functions as general governmental facilities, roadways, the water system, and wastewater treatment.
CGS staff prepared a comprehensive projection of physical development for the Belvidere planning area and linked that projection to a 10-year capital improvement plan. This growth management study provided guidance in assigning a proportionate share of growth-related capital costs to existing and projected land development and became a key component in planning for fiscal sustainability.
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Seven communities west of Chicago comprise the watershed region of Blackberry Creek. They include Aurora, Batavia, Elburn, Montgomery, North Aurora, Sugar Grove, and Yorkville. These communities were interested in determining whether environmentally sustainable development policies could also be fiscally sustainable.
CGS used its own analytical model to examine the long-term fiscal sustainability of different land development scenarios. By creating a customized geographic information system database for the Blackberry Creek watershed, CGS was able to factor new, environmentally sensitive development guidelines into its model in comparing the fiscal sustainability of the different approaches.
The study demonstrated how communities can benefit from new conservation-based approaches to land use planning that enhance the environment, the economy, and quality of life. Fiscal impact land use modeling allows communities to make mistakes on paper rather than on the landscape.
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Both government and foundation funders lack information about what other funders are doing and about the changing needs of the community. They have historically operated in silos without the ability to collaboratively address these needs.
A CGS affiliate, the DuPage Federation on Human Services Reform, helped convene the DuPage Funder Collaboration, whose mission is to enhance community health and human services through research, planning, evaluation, and leadership.
The Federation developed a consolidated database that shows the granting history of the participating funders and that identifies potentially underfunded populations. A demographic analysis provided the funders with a common basis for making their funding decisions. This is a work in progress, with further results expected as the program continues.
Communities in Illinois facing an influx of growth or a decline in population would benefit from a thorough review of their governance, management and planning practices and procedures. A well-governed, clearly organized, effectively managed, receptive, responsive, and cooperative municipal government is a vital component for economic development.
Using a comprehensive assessment tool, CGS helps review and strengthen Illinois municipalities’ governance and management practices so that they can compete more effectively for economic development.
A comprehensive report consisting of documentation of issues and themes identified during the community assessment, community assets and liabilities, a review of all key documents, recommendations for improvements and opportunities for success.
Funders
Christopher Burke Engineering, Ltd, www.cbbel.com
Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, Ltd. Attorneys at Law, www.ktjlaw.com
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