NEWS & EVENTS
WILL COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT & COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER
Public Announcements
Did you find a dead bird on your property?
If you find a dead bird on your property, call our Environmental Health Division’s West Nile Surveillance Hotline at 815-740-7631 to determine if the bird can be sent for testing.
Second Confirmed Case of Measles in Will County
The Will County Health Department has confirmed an additional positive case of measles in Will County. The Will County Health Department’s Communicable Disease staff is working to collect additional details to identify and notify people that may have been exposed to measles, provide education, and recommend appropriate measures. Additionally, the WCHD is in close contact with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) as the active investigation continues.
Will County Health Department Announces Positive Case Of Measles In Will County
The Will County Health Department’s Communicable Disease staff is working to collect additional details to identify and notify people that may have been exposed to measles, provide education, and recommend appropriate measures. Additionally, the Will County Health Department is in close contact with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) as the investigation continues. Case investigation has determined this case is related to the ongoing situation in the City of Chicago.
Learn about the WCHD’s Medical Reserve Corps
The Will County Health Department’s Medical Reserve Corps is actively recruiting new members. View the video above to learn more about the Medical Reserve Corps.
West Nile Virus Detected in Will County
The Will County Health Department’s Environmental Health division announced that mosquitoes collected in Joliet have tested positive for West Nile virus. (Link to Story).
Keep Cool During Extreme Heat
With an upcoming stretch of high temperatures expected in Illinois, the Will County Emergency Management Agency is advising residents of measures they can take during severe heat conditions to stay safe and healthy. These measures include being mindful of heat-related illnesses and being aware of the availability of local cooling centers.
TB Testing Now available at WCHD Branch Offices
The Will County Health Department and Will County’s Sunny Hill Tuberculosis Clinic have announced a new collaboration to expand Tuberculosis (TB) testing availability to Will County residents. The expanded testing services are now available at the Will County Health Department’s branch offices in Monee and Bolingbrook, along with the existing Joliet location at the Will County Health Department’s main office.
Have You Tested Your Well Water?
Even if you’ve never gotten sick from your well water, it is your responsibility to properly maintain your well and regularly test it to ensure you have safe drinking water. See the Fact Sheet on well testing from the IDPH.
Our Environmental Health Lab can test for bacteria and nitrate well also testing chlorine, fluoride and hardness.
Learn more about our EH Lab here.
Community Health Center earns The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval
The Will County Community Health Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Primary Care Medical Home, Ambulatory Health Care and Behavioral Health Care Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards
Community Health Center Celebrates New Behavioral Health Suite Grand Opening
The Will County Health Department and Community Health Center kicked off national Behavioral Health Awareness Month by hosting a grand opening event for a new behavioral health suite at the Will County Community Health Center (WCCHC) in Joliet on May 1.
Become a Health Hero with the Medical Reserve Corps!
You can become a Community Health Hero by joining the Will County Health Department’s Medical Reserve Corps. View the video above to learn more.
What to do After a Flood
Has your home experienced flooding recently? The Illinois Department of Public Health's "After the Flood" brochure helps flood victims protect themselves against diseases and other hazards in the days and weeks following a flood.
![CDC UPDATES “HOW COVID IS SPREAD” WEBPAGE](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Coronavirus-world-2.png)
CDC UPDATES “HOW COVID IS SPREAD” WEBPAGE
Uncommon circumstances where people with COVID-19 infected others who were more than 6 feet away or shortly after the COVID-19-positive person left an area. Today, CDC issued updated guidance to its How COVID-19 Spreads website, which includes information about the potential for airborne spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
![TESTING NEWS FOR NORTHERN WILL COUNTY: Free Aurora COVID-19 Testing Site Relocated as of SEPT 30TH](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Coronavirus-world.png)
TESTING NEWS FOR NORTHERN WILL COUNTY: Free Aurora COVID-19 Testing Site Relocated as of SEPT 30TH
New Aurora testing site to open September 30th The free drive-through COVID-19 testing site at the Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora is relocating on September 30th, 2020. The new testing site will be relocated to 2450 N. Farnsworth Ave., in Aurora, IL, less...
![Coronavirus Pandemic Brings Out Team Attitude at Will County Health Department](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Logo-1.png)
Coronavirus Pandemic Brings Out Team Attitude at Will County Health Department
The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard, as well as tragic, for so many people worldwide. But another word often heard more and more as everyone both continues and looks back on this challenge is the simple word: NEW. New concerns, new cautions, and a new way of life as...
![During Pandemic: “Awareness” More Important than Ever When it Comes to Suicide](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Suicide-Prevention-Week.png)
During Pandemic: “Awareness” More Important than Ever When it Comes to Suicide
One of the major concerns during the Coronavirus Pandemic has been its impact on behavioral health issues. And there is little doubt that the scariest issue, sometimes whispered and sometimes spoken out loud, has been its possible impact on the suicide rate. Although...
![Coronavirus Pandemic Brings Out Team Attitude at Will County Health Department](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Logo-1.png)
Emphasizing the Importance of Getting A Flu Shot Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic / State Employee Information
This year it is more important than ever to get a flu shot. Each season, millions of Americans are sickened with flu, hundreds of thousands are hospitalized, and tens of thousands die. This season we are also battling COVID-19, another virus that can cause severe...
![YES U CAN, A Chance for Young People to Get Involved](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Flyer-yesUcanSmallfile-PIC-VERSION.png)
YES U CAN, A Chance for Young People to Get Involved
Youngsters are invited to help encourage proper mask usage. Learn all about YES U CAN this Saturday. This 2 to 3 PM "COVID-19 Conversation and Statewide Make Competition Rollout" for #yesUcan will feature Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi...
![Three More WNV-Positive Mosquito Batches Found, Caution Advised Until First Frost](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Culex.jpg)
Three More WNV-Positive Mosquito Batches Found, Caution Advised Until First Frost
The Will County Health Department has found three additional WNV-positive mosquito samples from planted WCHD traps. Two were collected from a Mokena trap, and one from a Frankfort trap. This brings the total amount of positive mosquito batches collected in Will...
![Always Be Prepared for FLU Season](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/FLU-extra-front.png)
Always Be Prepared for FLU Season
Flu is a contagious respiratory disease that can lead to serious illness, hospitalization, or even death. CDC recommends everyone six months and older get an annual flu vaccine. For children under two years of age, 2 doses are needed for protection. Furthermore, it’s...
![Guidance for Pregnant Women and Adults Raising Small Children: A Need Even Stronger During Pandemic](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/BBO-Team-1.png)
Guidance for Pregnant Women and Adults Raising Small Children: A Need Even Stronger During Pandemic
When the Coronavirus pandemic first hit in early 2020, one of the biggest concerns for the WCHD (Will County Health Department) was how to continue performing their everyday services when they could often not see their clients face-to-face. One such area was in WCHD’s...
![What Kind of Flu Season Can We Expect? Leaning Towards Mild](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Flu-Gen-Pic.jpg)
What Kind of Flu Season Can We Expect? Leaning Towards Mild
This year's flu season in the Southern Hemisphere was weirdly mild. A surprisingly small number of people in the Southern Hemisphere have gotten the flu this year, probably because the public health measures put in place to fight COVID-19 have also limited the spread...
![State Public Health Officials Announce Region 7 to Return to Phase 4 of Restore Illinois](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Coronavirus-world.png)
State Public Health Officials Announce Region 7 to Return to Phase 4 of Restore Illinois
Following Close Coordination Between State and Local Officials, Rate Drops from 8% to 5.6% Allowing Roll Back of Mitigations JOLIET - Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) are announcing that Region 7, which includes the greater Will...
![How to Select, Wear, and Clean Your Mask](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Mask-Child.jpg)
How to Select, Wear, and Clean Your Mask
The CDC recommends that you wear masks in public settings around people who don’t live in your household and when you can’t stay 6 feet away from others. Masks help stop the spread of COVID-19 to others. See this webpage from the CDC with guidance on how to properly...
![MMWR Report: Frequent Mental Distress Among Adults](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Mental-Distress.jpg)
MMWR Report: Frequent Mental Distress Among Adults
Nearly a third of adults with disabilities (32.9%) reported experiencing frequent mental distress, which includes stress, depression, and problems with emotions, compared with 7.2% of adults without disabilities. Mental distress is associated with health risk...
![September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Child-eating.jpg)
September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
About 1 in 5 (19%) children in the United States has obesity. Certain groups of children are more affected than others. National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month provides a chance for all of us to learn more about this serious health condition. While there is no...
![Health Coalition Launches I PROTECT Campaign to Inform Parents About Childhood Immunizations](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/I-Protect-Logo-1.png)
Health Coalition Launches I PROTECT Campaign to Inform Parents About Childhood Immunizations
September 14, 2020 – Health organizations across the suburban Chicago counties today launched a campaign to inform and empower parents to make healthy decisions about childhood immunizations. A recent study found that only 55 percent of children in Illinois are up to...
![CDC UPDATES “HOW COVID IS SPREAD” WEBPAGE](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Coronavirus-world-2.png)
Mitigations for Region 7 Remain, but Will & Kankakee Counties are off State’s Warning Level List
DuPage County Now on List, Grundy County Returns as Well Note: Region 7, Will and Kankakee Counties, remain under mitigations of no indoor bar and restaurant service until COVID-19 positivity rate drops to 6.5% for three consecutive days. However, Will County...
![Please Call Will County Health Department COVID-19 Hotline for Complaints/Concerns, 1-815-740-8977](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/WCHD-Horizontal-WEB-Logo.png)
Please Call Will County Health Department COVID-19 Hotline for Complaints/Concerns, 1-815-740-8977
The ultimate goal is for Region 7, which includes Will and Kankakee Counties, to be able to return to STAGE 4 of the Coronavirus pandemic recovery process. The Will County Health Department is asking residents who have any complaints and concerns about businesses not...
![First Human Case of West Nile Virus in Illinois for 2020, in DuPage County](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Culex.jpg)
First Human Case of West Nile Virus in Illinois for 2020, in DuPage County
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reporting the first confirmed human case of West Nile virus in Illinois for 2020. A DuPage County resident in her 40s became ill in mid-August. “While we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, we must...
![CDC UPDATES “HOW COVID IS SPREAD” WEBPAGE](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Coronavirus-world-2.png)
Will County Still Among 29 Illinois Counties at Warning Level for Coronavirus Disease
Lake County on List, Grundy and Suburban Cook have been Dropped SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 29 counties in Illinois are considered to be at a warning level for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A county...
![September: Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month](https://willcountyhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Ov-Cancer.jpg)
September: Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. According to the CDC, Ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecologic cancer in the United States. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. When ovarian cancer is found...