NEWS & EVENTS
WILL COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT & COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER
Public Announcements
Will County Health Department Releases 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment and IPLAN
The Will County Health Department and the Will County Mobilizing for Action Through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) Collaborative are excited to share two important new reports: the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and the Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs (IPLAN).
2025-26 COVID-19 Vaccine Available
The Will County Health Department (WCHD) is informing residents that the new 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine is available at the Will County Health Department Immunization Clinic and at the Will County Community Health Center.
Will County Warming Centers
With temperatures dropping and sub-zero wind chills being forecasted, here is a link to Will County's warming centers provided by local governments for those having issues with properly heating their homes.
ByHeart Infant Formula Product Recall
ByHeart Infant Formula has issued a nationwide recall during an ongoing investigation by the FDA and CDC of a multistate outbreak of infant botulism.
Read the Latest Environmental Health Newsletter
Read the 2025 Fourth quarter newsletter from the Will County Health Department Environmental Health Division
WCHD To Open New Milk Depot in Bolingbrook
Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes and the Will County Health Department have partnered to bring a new human milk drop-off depot to Bolingbrook, Illinois at the Will County Health Department's Northern Branch Office (323 Quadrangle Drive). The grand opening will be on June 13, 2025.
WCHD Adds 10 Additional Red Naloxone Distribution Boxes
The Will County Health Department continues its efforts to reduce opioid overdose deaths, making access to the life-saving, overdose-reversing drug Naloxone (Narcan) easier by adding 10 additional red Naloxone distribution boxes throughout the County, bringing the total number of red distribution boxes in Will County to 20.
Will County Health Department Announces New Breastfeeding Support Group Starting In August
The Will County Health Department has announced the creation of a new breastfeeding support group, called the Milk Circle. The Milk Circle will meet twice a month on the first and third Tuesday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The group will hold a separate kick-off meeting on August 5, 2025, from 10:30 a.m. to Noon, before hosting its first meeting on August 19, 2025, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Infectious Disease Clinic is Latest Service at Community Health Center
The Will County Community Health Center has added an Infectious Disease (ID) Clinic to its list of medical services available to the public. The ID Clinic has partnered with the Care Clinic and specializes in the treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and HIV care while also offering general infectious disease consultations.
WCHD Expands Behavioral Health Services at Branch Offices
The Will County Health Department (WCHD) is in the process of expanding mental health services at both its Northern Branch Office in Bolingbrook and Eastern Branch Office in Monee
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.
Press Releases
Will County Health Department Offers Free Pace Vouchers For Well-Woman Visits
The Will County Health Department (WCHD) is offering free Pace Suburban Bus vouchers for women seeking preventative medical care. The vouchers are available to any woman of child-bearing age (18-44) who is impacted by a transportation barrier and can be used for a preventative care visit and/or follow up visits. The bus vouchers include full day rides for multiple trips/transfers in that day, as well as single ride vouchers.
WCHD to Offer Free COVID Vaccine Clinics
The Will County Health Department will be offering three free COVID Vaccine Clinics in the upcoming weeks.
Will County Health Department’s Dr. Kathleen Burke Named To Nationwide Commission On Mental Health & Wellbeing
WILL COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENTWill County Health Department’s Dr. Kathleen Burke Named To Nationwide Commission On Mental Health & Wellbeing The National Association of Counties (NACo) has announced 14 county leaders appointed to the new Commission on Mental Health...
Armando Reyes Named to NAMI Will-Grundy Advisory Board
Will County Health Department’s Armando Reyes has been selected to serve on the advisory board on the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Will-Grundy.
ELIZABETH BILOTTA NAMED WILL COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Will County Board of Health has appointed Elizabeth Bilotta as Will County Health Department’s next Executive Director, effective February 4, 2023. Bilotta takes over the executive director role following the retirement of Susan Olenek after 33 years of service. “After 33 years of public service to this community, leaving is bittersweet,” said Olenek. “But I leave knowing this agency and the community will be in very capable, dedicated hands.”
Health Insurance Enrollment Events
The deadline for the ACA marketplace open enrollment is January 15th. Our certified enrollment counselors are here to help with marketplace and Medicaid open enrollment events. The Will County Health Department will be hosting the following three enrollment events. All the events are first come, first serve for walk-ins and appointments are not available.
Tips for Surviving the Holiday Blues
The holidays are often viewed as a time of happiness and cheerfulness. But for some, the holiday season can evoke feelings of sadness, depression and anxiety, often simplified as the holiday blues. Dr. Joe Troiani, Will County Health Department’s Director of Behavioral Health, offers some tips to alleviate the blues.
Will County Health Department Meetings Update
The Will County Board of Health Selection Committee Meeting scheduled for November 28, 2022 has been canceled. The Will County Board of Health Selection Committee will meet on November 29, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in person at 501 Ella Ave, (Joliet, IL 60433) in conference room 1005A.
U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week
Antibiotics can save lives, but they aren’t always the answer. November 18-24 is U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week.
Will County Board Of Health Meeting
WILL COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT The Will County Board of Health will hold its regular meeting on November 16, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in person at 501 Ella Ave, (Joliet, IL 60433) in conference room 1005A/1005B. View Agenda.
Will County Board Of Health Selection Committee Meeting
The Will County Board of Health Selection Committee will meet on November 15, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in person at 501 Ella Ave, (Joliet, IL 60433) in conference room 1005A.
WCHD Offers Tips To Preventing Respiratory Illnesses
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently issued a health advisory noticing elevated respiratory illnesses, especially in children, caused by multiple viruses occurring simultaneously.
Will County Health Department Reminds Residents To Stay Current On All Vaccinations
With flu season quickly approaching and certain diseases attempting a comeback, Will County Health Department (WCHD) is encouraging residents to stay up to date on all of their vaccinations. Parts of the United States are seeing a resurgence in some diseases that haven’t been seen in a long time, including polio, a disease that paralyzed more than 35,000 people every year in the late 1940’s. Polio has surfaced in a New York City suburb, resulting in the first case of paralytic polio in the U.S. in over a decade.
This Thursday WCHD to Offer Monkeypox Vaccine Clinic
Will County Health Department will hold a by appointment only monkeypox vaccine clinic on Thursday, September 8 from 1PM-6PM at its 501 Ella Ave., Joliet location. First and second dose appointments are available. Call 779.230.6051 to schedule an appointment.
Will County’s COVID-19 Community Level Moves to RED
As of Friday, May 27, 2022, Will County is one of 15 Illinois Counties now Rated at High Community Level for COVID-19
Public Health Officials Stress the Importance of Being Updated on Vaccinations and Boosters; Vulnerable People Should Exercise Caution in Indoor Spaces.
Board of Health Agenda May 18, 2022
WILL COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT The Will County Board of Health meeting will be held in person at:501 ELLA AVENUEJOLIET, IL 60433 CONFERENCE ROOM 1005A / 1005B Due to the sharp reduction in COVID-19 positive cases in Will County, the movement from substantial community...
Will County’s COVID-19 Community Level Moves to Yellow
Local health departments belonging to the Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium (NIPHC) are advising people who live and work in the region that COVID-19 case rates are rising and now is the time to work together to avoid a surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Will County Community Health Center Governing Council
The Will County Community Health Center Governing Council meetings will be will be held via TELECONFERENCE on Wednesday, May 4th.
Will County Board of Health Meeting April 20, 2022
WILL COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT Due to the sharp reduction in COVID-19 positive cases in Will County, the movement from substantial community transmission to low community transmission, the increase in ICU bed availability, and the lifting of the mask mandate by...
Area Organizations Bring Vital Resources to the Community
On February 26, the Will County Health Department working with a number of local organizations brought COVID-19 vaccinations, health testing and screenings, gift cards, employment services, mental health and substance use resources, hygiene products, hot meals and food boxes, and much more to Will County residents in need.