Board of Health

Skokie Board of Health Thursday, June 12, 2025 7:00 pm Village Hall 5127 Oakton Street MINUTES In attendance: Dr. Bruce Gaynes, Dr. Michael Gottesman, Dr. Edward Linn (Chair), Juliet Haido, Dr. Girijia Kalyan Kumar, Margaret Keeler, Dr. Stephen Lupovitch, Rohit Pandya, Dr. Romil Sood, Patricia Urbanus, Irtaza Usman, Ruth Varma, Dr. William Werner, Sibyl Yau; Liaison (Vice-Chair); Staff Liaison: Mike Charley Not in attendance: Dr. Swapna Dave, Maureen Hanlon, Dr. Kyungran Shim, Dr. Larry Williams; Trustee Keith Robinson I. Call to Order at 7:07 PM II. Approval of Agenda: Approved, first by Dr. Sood, second by Dr. Lupovitch III. Approval of Minutes: April 10, 2025 Meeting, Approved, first by Dr. Sood, second by Dr. Lupovitch IV. Co-Responder Team Presentation, Brian McHugh, Social Worker & Kimberly Blue, Police Officer: Brian McHugh and Kimberly Blue presented together. Their presentation included 1) Who are Co-Responders, 2) Co-Responder Objectives, 3) How the Co- Responder Team Responds to Crisis Calls/Situations, 4) Types of Calls, 5) Case Data and 6) Examples of several Case Scenarios that they have responded to. V. BOH Chair Updates, Dr. Edward Linn: Dr. Linn reported that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently dismissed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). According to Dr. Linn, many of the allegations made against these members were unfounded. Dr. Gottesman added that some replacements have already been appointed. Dr. Linn noted that the Internal Medical Society is coordinating outreach to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and other medical societies nationwide to establish a unified voice on this issue. He also shared that the American Medical Association voted to send a formal letter protesting the dismissal of all ACIP members. Regarding vaccine development, Dr. Linn emphasized that all vaccines undergo randomized controlled trials. However, he acknowledged concerns raised by the HHS Secretary that these trials may not have sufficiently stratified participants by age. Dr. Linn explained that, due to the large number of COVID-19 cases, the federal government could retrospectively stratify the data for more targeted analysis. He also addressed the challenge of vaccine expectations, stating that federal agencies seek evidence showing vaccines prevent infection. Dr. Linn clarified that it is inherently difficult for vaccines—especially those administered intramuscularly—to prevent respiratory virus infections due to their limited stimulation of mucosal immune responses. He noted that researchers are actively exploring intranasal vaccine options to improve Doc#: 626343, Version:1  efficacy against respiratory pathogens. Dr. Linn underscored the importance of the BOH and the Health and Human Services Department serving as trusted sources of accurate information, given public confusion around vaccine safety and efficacy. He mentioned that a new COVID-19 variant has emerged and that a corresponding vaccine has been developed, though it remains uncertain whether the current ACIP will approve it in time. Finally, Dr. Linn expressed concern that the HHS Secretary may influence the content shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and emphasized the need for IDPH to continue disseminating peer-reviewed, evidence-based information. He urged all BOH members to advocate publicly for the safe and informed use of vaccines. VI. Health and Human Services (HHS) Updates, Mike Charley: Charley provided Health and Human Services (HHS) updates on different services and programs of relevance since the last BOH meeting on April 11. Examples include such items as the Village’s Tabletop Chemical Spill exercise on April 17, MRC trainings, HHS’s involvement with the Niles West High School Young Hearts for Life event on April 29, a recent Regional Rat control meeting hosted here at Village Hall, a recent blood drive in partnership with Versiti Blood Centers and an annual Medical Countermeasures Distribution exercise conducted by HHS. A. Public Health Partners of Excellence Awards: Charley handed out a nomination form for this annual award. Charley shared that if any BOH member has an organization and/or individual they would like to nominate for this award to complete the nomination form and submit it back to HHS by Friday August 29. HHS will review all nominations, choose the best nominations and present those nominations at the September BOH meeting for BOH review and approval. The winners will be recognized at a future Village Board meeting. VII. Old Business: A. BOH Potluck Event: A short discussion was held regarding the BOH having a potluck at the October BOH meeting. More discussion will be held at the September meeting. B. BOH Topics of Interest: Sibyl Yau recommended that if BOH members are interested in tackling a public health issues to provide that recommendation at a future meeting. If a recommendation is made and supported by the BOH, Village Board and the Village Manager’s office, then the BOH members interested in that topic of interest will take responsibility in conducting research and sharing that research and any recommendations back to the BOH for review. VIII. New Business: None IX. Public Comments: None X. Adjournment at 8:21 PM Next Regular Meeting: September 11, 2025 @ 7:00 p.m. Doc#: 626343, Version:1