Every year when the Village of Oak Park saddles up to look at its annual budget, the murmurs start. Do we really need our own health department? Isn’t it duplicative of services already offered by the county? With its stand-alone, certified health department, Oak Park is certainly in the minority of Cook County municipalities.
But then along came the H1N1 virus, or the swine flu, and the Oak Park Health Department certainly has risen to the occasion. By all accounts, the village’s crew has done an admirable job in administering 7,000 vaccinations, while guarding residents from long lines and any other generally unpleasant experiences. A sure reminder that the village’s health department has come through during other national threats at a local level: scarlet fever, small pox, the measles.
It’s uncertain what the future holds for the department. Its budget has been pared down repeatedly. Staff has been cut in half over the past five years, dropping its budget to $1.17 million. About 30 percent of that comes from grant funding. Whispers that Oak Park no longer needs its department will likely persist, as the village searches for how to right-size itself in a challenging economic environment. But the department has made it clear, in its response to the recent flu epidemic, that having the village’s own department is worthwhile. Would you really want to count on Cook County and Todd Stroger for a flu shot?
