Lake County, Illinois
A large number of medical facilities within Lake County provide for the health care needs of the residents. Vista Health System operates Vista Medical Center East and Vista Medical Center West in Waukegan, the Vista MRI Center in Gurnee, and the Vista Surgery Center in Lindenhurst. NorthShore University HealthSystem (formerly Evanston Northwestern Healthcare) manages a network of four hospitals, including Highland Park Hospital, Lake Forest Hospital, and Advocate Health Care’s Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. Owned and operated by the Lake County government, Winchester House provides long-term health care and rehabilitation for county residents.
Lake County, IL boasts a large number of medical practitioners that specialize in a number of medical services. With so many healthcare choices for Lake County residents, the variety can become confusing. Health Grades lists all of the hospitals in Illinois with ratings for specific procedures. To find a doctor practicing in a specific community in Lake County, UCompare Health Care lists Illinois doctors by their practice location. The United Cerebral Palsy of Illinois website provides a wealth of information on disabilities and prevention of certain disabilities. You can also refer to the Illinois Hospital Directory for contact and medical information.
Specific health concerns for Waukegan are addressed here: Waukegan Citizens Advisory Group.
Lake County, Illinois is in the far northeastern corner of the state, north of Chicago. Lake Michigan borders Lake County to the east; the lakefront communities are part of an area known as the North Shore. Lake County’s communities include picturesque rural communities, dynamic urban areas, affluent suburbs and communities that focus on the tourist industry. In 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population of Lake County, IL at 712,453.
As the name suggests, Lake County, IL offers abundant recreational opportunities found through miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline, the Chain O’Lakes, the highly acclaimed Lake County Forest Preserves, the lovely Des Plaines River Trail, and more.
Waukegan, on the western shore of Lake Michigan, is the county seat of Lake County, Illinois. Unfortunately, Waukegan contains three Superfund sites of hazardous substances on the National Priorities List. Manufacturing activities at Outboard Marine Corporation were thought to have caused PCB presence in Waukegan Harbor; the Johns-Manville site contains asbestos contamination, and the Yeoman Creek Landfill contaminated area water with volatile organic compounds and PCBs. Waukegan’s Downtown and Lakefront Redevelopment Master Plan plans that existing industries, excepting the Midwest Generation power plant and North Shore wastewater treatment facilities, be replaced by residential and recreational space.
An extensive network of major highways serve Lake County, Illinois. Interstate 294 travels north through the county, serving as a convenient means of travel for traffic from Chicago to Milwaukee and beyond. Routes 12, 14, 41, 45, 59 and 83 traverse the county from north to south, while Routes 176, 173, 137, 132, 120, 60 and 22 maintain east-to-west travel.
There are 45 public school districts serving Lake County, Illinois. The College of Lake County, Columbia College at Lake County, Lake Forest College, Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Trinity International University, and the University Center of Lake County provide Lake County residents with a variety of choices for higher education.
