The organizational structure under which the Kane County Health Department operates designates the members of the County Board in the dual roles as members of the Board of Health. In order to provide expert health advice to KCHD, per Illinois state statute, a nine-member Health Advisory Committee (HAC) of community members advises KCHD in decision-making. State law mandates that a health advisory committee comprised of health leaders, consumers and subject matter experts, including a licensed doctor, dentist and nurse, be appointed to help guide county decisions on a wide range of health-related issues. 

Diane Homan, MD
Dr. Homan is the Vice President of Clinical Innovation and the Chief Medical Informatics Officer. In this role, Dr. Homan facilitates the use of clinical informatics to advance clinical quality and patient safety and provides medical leadership for all clinical information systems that assist physicians in the delivery of patient care. Collaborating with key areas of responsibility including Care Management, Infection Prevention, Quality and Patient Safety, Dr. Homan uses data to improve quality outcomes through standardization. Monitoring metrics that contribute to Value Based Purchasing, Readmissions, Hospital Acquired Conditions while implementing Meaningful Use criteria continues to move the organization to high reliability. Dr. Homan will also continue to represent Rush-Copley at state and national conferences presenting our excellent clinical outcomes seeking to network and learn from those who represent best practices in the healthcare industry. Dr. Homan has been on the clinical faculty at Rush University for over 30 years, initiated and served as the Director of the Rush-Copley Family Medicine residency and also serves on several local Boards including the Kane County Advisory Committee.​

Ed Hunter
Ed Hunter is semi-retired from the Mission Officer position/Head Chaplain at Amita Saint Joseph Hospital and Mercy Medical Center in Aurora. He served Amita in its changing formats for the past 32 years. He is a board-certified Catholic chaplain since 1982 serving various positions in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. In his semi-retirement, he continues to serve Amita as a registry part time Chaplain. He is one of the volunteer chaplains for Elgin Fire Department and Elgin Police Department. He is serving on several other boards for non-profit agencies in the county: Kane County Health Department, Greater Family Health (development committee), Fox Valley Hands of Hope (a bereavement agency serving the county), Family Service Association of Elgin, a board member of the Community Crisis Center and a member of the domestic violence task for the Community Crisis Center, Salvation Army Elgin, Hesed House volunteer in Aurora. He is currently the secretary for the local clergy ecumenical group, Coalition of Elgin Religious Leaders. Mr. Hunter is also a member of the Northern Illinois Critical Incident Debriefing team since 1991.​

Karin Podolski, RN, MSN, MPH
Karin Podolski has been the Director of Community Health and Outreach at Cadence Health in Geneva since 2007. In her position she oversees all activities targeted at promoting lifelong wellness in the community. She leads the development of health education programming and outreach activities that positively impact health outcomes and behaviors; ensures the effective and efficient operation of all services that fall under Community Health and Outreach, including program development, implementation and evaluation. She has served as Director of Patient Access Services, Project Manager and Coordinator since joining Delnor Community Hospital in 1997.

Dorothea Poulos, MD
Dorothea (Dori) Poulos, MD is a native of Chicago. After completing medical school at Harvard and family practice training at Cook County Hospital she started a medical practice in Elgin which is now a thriving practice with 5 physicians, 2 nurse practitioners and over 20 employees, serving a diverse population in the Fox Valley. She recently finished a term as President of the medical staff at Sherman Hospital, is currently the chairperson of the Patient Care Committee of Sherman Hospital, and has served in the past as the Chairperson of the Kane County Health Department Advisory Committee with her last term ending in 2007. She is very happy to be serving the County again starting in 2014. Poulos has also been involved in various capacities with several organizations in the community including the Well Child Conference, the Open Door Clinic, the Visiting Nurse Association Prenatal Clinic, and the Department of Rehabilitative Services. Her love of music is expressed by her previous involvement on the board of directors of the Elgin OPERA, and also by her playing the accordion in a local bluegrass band, the Blue Tulip Wranglers. Dr Poulos has lived in Elgin with her two children since 1994.

​Linnea Windel, MSN, RN
Linnea Windel has served as the President and CEO of VNA Health Care in Aurora, IL, since 1999. Under her leadership, the organization has grown its operating revenue from $6 million a year to $25 million annually. The organization provides Medicare-certified Home Health and Hospice services, primary care and public health programs.