NEWS & EVENTS

It's Open Enrollment Time! Dates to apply, renew or change health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) marketplace are from November 1st to December 15th, 2020. Once enrolled, coverage would begin on January 1st, 2021. To enroll online, go to...

In some ways, I long for the days when I thought I was “just” anxious — when my anxiety simply fueled my perfectionism. Sure, I’d have plenty of late nights completing school projects at the last minute due to the weight of my own high expectations. But overall, it...

So what do family and friends need to know when a loved one is dealing with chronic dissociation? While every person is different — and every experience of dissociation is different — here are the top five things to keep in mind based on my personal experience with...

Governor Pritzker announced Tuesday afternoon that Region 7 (Will and Kankakee Counties) will for the second time during the Coronavirus pandemic be facing Phase Four Tier One Restrictions.  This coming Friday, October 23rd, five weeks to the day after Region 7 was...

I PROTECT aims to educate parents on the facts around vaccinations.  Our goal is to be seen as a trusted resource to arm parents with the factual information they need to feel comfortable and confident in making the right decision for their child – as recommended by...

Five weeks after being dropped from the IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health) list of state counties at the warning level, and four weeks after additional mitigations were dropped for Illinois’ Region 7 (Will and Kankakee Counties), Will County again finds...

The CDC and other agencies across the U.S. Government announced the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, 2020-2025, the country’s second plan to address coordinated and strategic actions to address antibiotic resistance across humans,...

Plan ahead for the holidays and consider alternatives SPRINGFIELD – As Illinoisans prepare to spend the holidays with family and friends, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is offering recommendations on how to celebrate safer during the COVID-19...

It was early March when the State of Illinois, the county, and the entire world all realized that major action needed to be taken against the Coronavirus Pandemic. Events were cancelled, schools were closing, cases of Covid19 were quickly climbing, and people were...

Prior to the start of the Coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, much of the attention of the public health community was focused upon the vaping issue, and the increased participation in vaping among young people and the dangers that were becoming more obvious each day....

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has confirmed the first human West Nile virus-related death in Illinois for 2020. A Chicago resident who became ill in mid-September and tested positive for West Nile virus has died. “Although we are...

Public health officials in Illinois urge everyone to get a flu vaccine SPRINGFIELD – Getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever as we brace for a dual outbreak of flu and COVID-19 this fall and winter. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and local...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...