County Health Department Joins 'Rethink Your Drink' Campaign Against Sodas

The McHenry County Department of Health is partnering with other Illinois health departments to kick off the "Rethink Your Drink" month-long campaign to encourage residents to limit sugary beverages and make healthy beverage choices. 

The "Rethink Your Drink" campaign is an initiative of Illinois Alliance to Prevent Obesity, a diverse coalition made up of more than 140 organizations across the state, which has focused on raising awareness of the health harms of sugary beverages since 2010. 

“Not only are these entities an important point of contact for a diverse array of Illinoisans, but they have been the front line in creating food and beverage environments that ensure that healthy food and beverage options are the routine, easy choice,” said Elissa Bassler, CEO of the Illinois Public Health Institute, the administrative agency for IAPO.

According to Meaghan Haak, MCDH health promotion coordinator, “As part of our 'We Choose Health' obesity prevention initiative, the department will collaborate with the schools to educate students about the health effects of drinking sugar sweetened beverages.”

To learn more about the "Rethink Your Drink campaign," visit IAPO’s website www.preventobesityil.org.

The goal of the IAPO is to ensure that trends in obesity in Illinois are stable by 2015 and moving downward by 2018.

This statewide coalition works to implement solutions to the obesity epidemic through coordinated and comprehensive policy, systems and environmental changes. Funding for this initiative is from Voices for Healthy Kids, an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Heart Association.

Contact MCDH at 815-334-4510 for more information.