Board of Health — Skokie, IL
Date: 2026-05-14

Skokie Board of Health Regular
Meeting Agenda
May 14, 2026 | 7:00 PM
Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street,
Conference Rooms D/E

 1. Call to Order
 2. Roll Call/Declaration of Quorum
 3. Approval of Agenda
 4. Approval of Meeting Minutes from April 9, 2026
 5. Public Comment (3 minutes per person)
 6. Health and Human Services Food Program Presentation, Cameron Hendricks,
 Environmental Health Supervisor

 7. Board of Health Chair Updates, Dr. Edward Linn
 8. Health and Human (HHS) Updates, Mike Charley, Director of Health and Human Services
 9. Old Business
 a. Item – Award of Health Research Excellence, Jimmy Gonzalez-Vicker
 10. New Business
 11. Adjournment



 Next meeting of this board/commission is scheduled for June 11, 2026, 7:00 PM, Village Hall,
 5127 Oakton Street, Conference Rooms D/E.
 Individuals with questions or feedback about an agenda item may contact Mike Charley,
 Director of Health and Human Services by calling 847/933-8252 or by emailing
 publiccomments@skokie.org. All emails and comments submitted will be made public and
 shared with this body.


 The Village, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, requests that persons with
 disabilities who require certain accommodations to allow them to observe or participate in this
 hearing, or who have questions about the accessibility of the meeting facilities, contact the
 Village’s ADA coordinator Angel Schnur at angel.schnur@skokie.org or 847/933.8400.


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Skokie Board of Health
Regular Meeting Minutes
May 14, 2026 | 7:00 PM
Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street, Conference Rooms D/E

Call to Order at 7:04 PM
Roll Call/Declaration of Quorum
In attendance:
Board Members: Dr. Sarah Franks, Jaime Gonzalez Vicker, Dr. Michael Gottesman, Alyssa
Kritzman, Dr. Girija Kalyan Kumar, Dr. Edward Linn (Chair), Dr. Steven Lupovitch, Valerie Riley,
Dr. Romil Sood, Ruth Varma, Dr. William Werner, Sibyl Yau (Vice-Chair)
Staff Members: Mike Charley, Director of Health and Human Services/Staff Liaison, Cameron
Hendricks, Environmental Health Supervisor
Not in attendance:
Board Members: Dr. Swapna Dave, Dr. Bruce Gaynes, Juliet Haido, Margaret Keeler, Rohit
Pandya, Patricia Urbanus, Irtaza Usman; Trustee Lissa Levy
Approval of Agenda:
A motion to approve the agenda was made by Dr. Sood and seconded by Valerie Riley. The
motion passed by voice vote.

Approval of Meeting Minutes from April 9, 2026:

A motion to approve the minutes was made by Ruth Varma and seconded by Dr. Kumar. The
motion passed by voice vote.

Public Comment (3 minutes per person):

A member of the public, Ann McDermott, addressed the Board regarding apartment conditions
and landlord responsiveness, including concerns related to bed bugs, plumbing, sink repairs,
flooding, sanitation, and the impact of housing conditions on physical and mental health. She
asked that the Village listen to residents and address landlord practices that affect health. Mike

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Charley, Director of Health and Human Services, offered to have Health and Human Services
staff obtain her contact information and follow up.

Health and Human Services Food Program Presentation, Cameron Hendricks, Environmental
Health Supervisor
Cameron Hendricks provided an overview of the Environmental Health Division and the
Village’s food protection program. The presentation reviewed major Environmental Health
program areas, the purpose of food inspections, inspection activities, cottage food oversight,
facility risk categories, inspection frequencies, and common food safety violations.

The Board discussed food inspection procedures, temporary and mobile food vendors, farmers
market inspections, cottage food limitations, pest concerns, foodborne illness investigations,
enforcement processes, staffing models, flavored vape enforcement, and potential education
or policy efforts related to youth vaping and smoking cessation. Staff noted that confirmed
foodborne illness clusters are uncommon, enforcement may escalate through citations and
administrative hearings.

Board of Health Chair Updates, Dr. Edward Linn
Dr. Edward Linn provided updates on raw milk cheese, vaccination rates, and related public
health concerns.
• Dr. Linn discussed concerns regarding the possible sale of raw milk cheese products at the
indoor farmers market. Dr. Linn distributed and discussed an article regarding raw milk cheese
safety. He noted the historical public health risks associated with unpasteurized cheese,
including listeria and other outbreaks, and asked staff to review whether raw milk products
were being sold at farmers markets or other events.
• Staff noted that raw milk and raw milk products are not permitted for sale under Illinois
requirements and that vendors submit temporary food applications for review. Board members
were encouraged to report suspected concerns to Environmental Health.
• Dr. Linn reported that the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee met and reviewed school
vaccination rates. He noted that Illinois is generally performing well compared to other states,
with a 95 percent target discussed for measles vaccination coverage. Local examples from state
data included a school or district below the threshold, including a junior high school at
approximately 94.1 percent and a school in 60077 at approximately 93.1 percent.
• Dr. Linn and Board members discussed exemption practices, including medical and religious
exemptions, the role of physicians, school enforcement deadlines, and the need for evidence-
based public health decision-making. Staff noted that schools report immunization data
through state channels and that school policies and state oversight play a significant role.




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• Staff also discussed local vaccination access efforts, including the June 6 Skokie Health Fair
and a partnership with Advocate to support school physicals and vaccinations after a partner
event was cancelled.
Health and Human Updates, Mike Charley, Director of Health and Human Services
Mike Charley provided Health and Human Services updates, including the following:
• Communicable disease activity was lower than usual in March, with approximately 30 disease
cases reported for the month and 13 different reportable diseases referenced. Sexually
transmitted infections were noted as the most common reported diseases.
• Social workers assisted 141 households with services, including emergency financial
assistance, well-being checks, referrals for mental and behavioral health services, food bags
through the Advocate food program, and connections to the Niles Township Food Pantry.
• HHS recently received approximately $71,000 in new or recurring grant funding, including
AgeOptions, IDPH Vision and Hearing, and Cook County Department of Public Health West Nile
virus/vector surveillance grant support.
• The June 6 Skokie Health Fair is being planned and will include health services, school
physicals, and vaccinations. Information was made available for residents to register or contact
HHS staff.
• The monthly STI testing partnership with Howard Brown Health and CALOR continues,
offering free and confidential testing, education, counseling, and consultation.
• Rodent complaint trends continue to decrease. Staff described targeted alley inspections in
higher-density rat activity areas, issuance of citations where warranted, and plans to continue
inspections during the summer with interns.
• HHS continues water sampling throughout the Village and is considering hiring a water
contractor while shifting away from contracted food inspections.
• Community Health Services reported recent vaccine and testing activity, including Vaccines
for Children, adult vaccines, travel vaccines, and TB tests.
• Public health preparedness updates included Stop the Bleed training and supplies, support for
School District 219 with bleeding control kits and staff training, harm reduction supplies such as
fentanyl test strips and Narcan education, and staff/MRC participation in ASL training.
• Environmental Health tobacco enforcement included citations issued to Tobacco Express for
the possession of flavored vaping products. Staff described the enforcement and adjudication
process, including possible fines, license suspension, or revocation depending on the facts and
repeat violations.



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Board members asked questions regarding rat case reporting, tobacco enforcement escalation,
product testing, and how the Village evaluates the seriousness of violations. Staff explained
that complaints are entered as cases, enforcement is progressive and fact-specific, and higher-
risk public health concerns are triaged accordingly.
Old Business
Item – Award of Health Research Excellence, Jaime Gonzalez-Vicker
The Board discussed the recognition of a Skokie resident science fair participant who will be
honored at the Village Board meeting on June 1, 2026. The student and teacher are expected to
attend, and the Board expressed support for the recognition.
New Business
No new business was raised.
Adjournment
A motion was made by Dr. Sood and seconded by Jaime Gonzalez Vicker to adjourn the
meeting. The motion passed by voice vote, and the meeting adjourned at approximately 8:25
PM.




Respectfully Submitted, Mike Charley, Director of Health & Human Services




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