Board of Health — Skokie, IL
Date: 2025-12-11

Skokie Board of Health
 Thursday, December 11, 2025
 7:00 pm
 Skokie Village Hall
 5127 Oakton Street
 Conference Room D/E

 AGENDA

I. Call to Order

II. Approval of Agenda

III. Approval of Minutes: November 13, 2025 Meeting

IV. BOH Chair Updates, Dr. Edward Linn
 A. Rev Dr. Valerie Riley – New Member Introduction
 B. Dr. Linn Upates

V. Health and Human Services (HHS) Updates, Mike Charley, HHS Director

VI. Old Business
 A. Award of Health Research Excellence, Jimmy Gonzalez-Vicker

VII. New Business
 A. February 12, 2026 Meeting – Reschedule or Cancel Discussion

VIII. Public Comment (3 minutes per person)

IX. Adjournment

 Next Regular Meeting: January 8, 2026 @ 7:00 p.m.




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Skokie Board of Health
 Thursday, December 11, 2025
 7:00 pm

 Skokie Village Hall
 5127 Oakton Street
 Conference Room D/E



 MINUTES

In attendance: Dr. Bruce Gaynes, Jimmy Gonzalez-Vicker, Dr. Michael Gottesman, Margaret
Keeler, Dr. Edward Linn (Chair), Dr. Stephen Lupovitch, Rohit Pandya, Rev Dr. Valerie Riley, Dr.
Romil Sood, Ruth Varma, Sibyl Yau (Vice-Chair), Staff Liaison: Michael Charley; Trustee: Lissa
Levy

Not in attendance: Dr. Swapna Dave, Dr. Sarah Franks, Juliet Haido, Maureen Hanlon, Dr. Girijia
Kalyan Kumar, Patricia Urbanus, Irtaza Usman, Dr. William Werner

I. Call to Order at 7:08 pm

II. Approval of Agenda: Motion to approve the agenda by Dr. Sood; seconded by Varma.
 Motion carried.

III. Approval of Minutes: November 13, 2025 Meeting: Motion to approve the minutes by
 Dr. Sood; seconded by Second by Keeler. Motion carried.

IV. BOH Chair Updates, Dr. Edward Linn
 A. Rev Dr. Valerie Riley – New Member Introduction: Rev Dr. Riley introduced
 herself. Dr. Riley shared that she is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and she
 currently serves as the Director of Employee Experience and Engagement for
 Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. She has lived in Skokie for the last 13 years
 and she joined the Board of Health because she cares about Skokie community
 and their overall health.
 B. Dr. Linn Updates: Dr. Linn reported that the Immunization Advisory Committee
 meeting, was postponed to next week due to new state law requirements for
 member reappointments and term limits; members, including Dr. Linn, have now
 been reappointed. The Committee will review vaccination guidance, particularly
 hepatitis B, and Illinois will continue to follow Illinois Department of Public
 Health recommendations rather than recent CDC/ACIP guidance. Dr. Linn
 emphasized the strong evidence supporting universal newborn hepatitis B
 vaccination and noted no current vaccination-related crises in Skokie, with
 COVID levels currently low.


V. Health and Human Services (HHS) Updates, Mike Charley, HHS Director: The Health


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 and Human Services Director provided updates on recent public health communications,
 departmental activities, state and federal developments, and upcoming initiatives.
 Highlights included recent community outreach and education efforts (“The Scoop”),
 recognition of Public Health Partners of Excellence, and continued growth of the
 Medical Reserve Corps, which has increased to nearly 120 volunteers, strengthening the
 Village’s emergency response capacity.

 The Director shared state and federal public health updates, including Illinois
 Department of Public Health statements reaffirming vaccine safety, rejecting
 misinformation linking vaccines and autism, and confirming Illinois’ continued
 recommendation for universal newborn hepatitis B vaccination. Departmental updates
 included Medicare Open Enrollment counseling services, participation in community
 resource fairs, and preparations for the annual Assist-A-Family program serving nearly
 300 households.

 Additional updates covered rat control messaging, IPLAN activities related to affordable
 housing and behavioral health initiatives, and progress on a linguistically appropriate
 healthcare resource document and mental health awareness campaign. The Board also
 received an overview of the planned expansion of Skokie’s Lead Service Line
 Replacement Program, outlining expanded eligibility and anticipated next steps, as well
 as a brief review of the Board of Health’s operating budget.

VI. Old Business
 A. Award of Health Research Excellence, Jimmy Gonzalez-Vicker: Jimmy Gonzalez-
 Vicker presented the proposed Award of Health Research Excellence in
 conjunction with the Illinois Junior Academy of Science Fair, scheduled for the
 first Saturday in March at Wheeling High School. BOH members received
 handouts and a judging rubric outlining criteria for evaluating eligible student
 health research projects, with an emphasis on projects demonstrating a positive
 impact on the Skokie community.

 Mr. Gonzalez-Vicker explained that BOH members would serve as special judges
 and that one to three members were sought to participate. Dr. Bruce Gaynes
 indicated his willingness to serve as a judge. BOH judges would coordinate with
 the event organizer in advance of the competition and evaluate applicable
 projects submitted by Skokie resident students at the actual event. Selected
 award recipients would be invited to attend an April or May Village Board
 meeting to receive the Award of Health Research Excellence. Mr. Gonzalez-
 Vicker noted that students participating in the science fair receive multiple
 awards in addition to this BOH-sponsored award.

 A motion was made to for the BOH to move forward with creating an Award of
 Health Research Excellence sponsored by the Board of Health for the science
 competition. The motion was made by Dr. Lupovitch and seconded by Dr.
 Gaynes. The motion carried unanimously.




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 Dr. Linn requested that an update be distributed to all BOH members, including
 those not in attendance, to identify any additional members interested in
 participating as judges.

VII. New Business
 A. February 12, 2026 Meeting – Reschedule or Cancel Discussion: Mike Charley
 shared that due to a scheduling conflict that the February 12, 2026 meeting must
 be either cancelled or rescheduled. Mike agreed to send a follow-up email to all
 BOH members, along with a poll to determine whether BOH members would
 rather cancel or reschedule. If the vote is to reschedule, Mike will send out a poll
 to determine an appropriate date.

VIII. Public Comment (3 minutes per person): No Public Comment

IX. Adjournment at 8:28 pm

 Next Regular Meeting: January 8, 2026 @ 7:00 p.m.




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