IRIS in Action: Public Health as a Trusted Connector for Families
Date
September 16, 2026, 11:00 - 12:00 PM CST
Event
IRIS in Action: Public Health as a Trusted Connector for Families
Families often have a variety of needs that require moving between siloed systems. Accessing these services can be difficult without a trusted partner to guide the way. Leveraging their local expertise and knowledge of cross-sector resources, public health organizations work alongside families to navigate disparate systems and make connections to relevant supports.
Attendees will hear from presenters in public health leveraging IRIS to build and sustain supportive systems that improve the health of families and the broader community. Presenters will share how IRIS has helped strengthen coordination, improve access to services, and build more connected systems of care.
Registration
Presenter Bios
Mandi LaRue, LMSW
Social Worker
Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, Olathe, KS
Mandi LaRue is a licensed social worker, who received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Kansas. Over the last 10 years, Mandi has served as a Social Worker at the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment. Prior to that, she dedicated 15 years to the foster care system in Kansas. Those years building knowledge around community resources helped set a solid foundation for her work with IRIS. Mandi has been involved with IRIS since its implementation in Johnson County in 2018 and was a strong leader through the merging of IRIS communities in Kansas and Missouri in 2022. Mandi focuses much of her work in IRIS now on recruiting new partners and ongoing community engagement.
Amanda McKinley
Community Engagement Specialist
Greene County Health Department, Carrollton, IL
Amanda McKinley is a Community Health Worker with the Greene County Health Department, where she helps individuals and families navigate healthcare, understand medical information, and connect with local and regional resources while overcoming barriers such as cost, access, and paperwork. In their rural community, having a trusted and familiar face makes a meaningful difference. Through education, advocacy, and support in areas such as breast health, colorectal health, mental health, substance use, early childhood connections, prevention, and wellness, they are strengthening community health outcomes. Since onboarding, IRIS has become a valuable tool, streamlining connections to needed services and reducing the burden on clients, while allowing CHWs to provide more effective support. Amanda is honored to be named the 2025 IPHA Community Health Worker of the Year and remains deeply committed to being a helper in her community—empowering others, lifting barriers, and using tools like IRIS to continue making a lasting difference.
Molly Peters, BS, LEHP
Public Health Administrator
Greene County Health Department, Carrollton, IL
Molly Peters, BS, LEHP, has served in public health for over 18 years. A 2008 graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a Bachelor of Science in Health Education, she began her career with the Madison County Health Department before transitioning into environmental health and advancing to Environmental Health Coordinator. Molly became Public Health Administrator for the Greene County Health Department in February 2020, leading the department through the COVID-19 pandemic and a nationally recognized vaccination response. Since 2022, she has also served as Administrator of the Scott County Health Department. Molly is Past President of the Illinois Association of Public Health Administrators, Vice President of the Southern Chapter of the Illinois Environmental Health Association, Treasurer of Home Care Across Illinois, and Co-Chair of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s State Health Assessment and State Health Improvement Plan Partnership. With deep roots in the communities she serves, Molly is passionate about innovative public health practices, collaboration, and strengthening rural communities.
Kim Peterson, MS, MA
Director for Community Health
Kane County Health Department, Aurora, IL
Kim Peterson is the Director of the Community Health Division at the Kane County Health Department in Illinois. She has a Masters in Clinical Psychology and a MS in Data Analytics. Kim is a public health leader with passions rooted in working with families, mental health, equity/inclusion, social determinants of health, and system-improvement. Kim has formed, lead, facilitated, and participated in many different ECEC (and other related sectors) collaborative groups and played a pivotal role in implementing and maintaining the robust Kane County IRIS System. She currently leads the Kane County IRIS network, along with many other prevention and harm-reduction initiatives.
