Many factors determine the health of a community. The interconnected, interwoven nature of these factors allows us to compare DuPage County with a tapestry. A tapestry is made of a combination of weaving and embroidery that tells a story. The tapestry that is Healthy DuPage is woven from a strong background. The detail, the story, is embroidered on that background by many hands, using the skills unique to each contributor.

A healthy community weaves a tapestry of social, physical, and economic fabric that nurtures its members even as they repair its worn places and embellish its design. These factors are connected, not in a linear way, but rather like a tapestry—any thread we examine makes up a part of a picture and contributes to the whole story of the tapestry.

Yet, because the overall picture for DuPage County is one of success, it is easy to be blinded by the colors or absorbed by the story. It is also difficult to remember that tapestry work is slow work. Inspired by our success, we may too quickly add to the tapestry, stepping back to discover we have destroyed the symmetry, rather than adding to its beauty.

To keep DuPage County a strong, and a nurturing place in which to live, we must look closely at the detail, the individual stitching, to understand how our community works. Then we must look back at the work as a whole to understand how our new stitches will affect the story told by the tapestry. We must anticipate areas of wear and, through collaborative effort, weave into our actions, initiatives, and projections the threads that help us maintain our quality of life.

A tapestry depends for strength and beauty on its weaving and on the skill with which the individual threads are applied. Likewise, people depend upon their connections with others for fuller, more accomplished living. A skillfully interwoven fabric of health is the gift we wish to bequeath to and improve upon for future residents of DuPage County.

1. To provide information important to all the diverse groups of people in DuPage County.

2. To provide measures of community systems so residents may, together, track community trends and engage in actions to make a healthier DuPage County.

3. To show links and interactions among community systems, such as how the economy impacts environmental and social issues, and vice versa.

4. To create a culture of effective countywide planning, information collection, and analysis

5. To stimulate decisive action that leads to improved community health.