[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6179119,"mediaKeyId","5133636-6980e6e4746830cc55e0b297819c61ac","parentId",5133636,"title","Peotone resident tells Will County board dust from nearby grain facility is making her ill; board asks staff to follow up","audioSeconds",644,"startMs",2666000,"endMs",3310000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5133636-6980e6e4746830cc55e0b297819c61ac&start=2666&end=3310","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5133636-6980e6e4746830cc55e0b297819c61ac/thumbnail_2666000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6179119/Will-County/Illinois/Peotone-resident-tells-Will-County-board-dust-from-nearby-grain-facility-is-making-her-ill-board-asks-staff-to-follow-up","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6179119-e60b822c79c7d5a338264938c5d96987/orig.mp4?Expires=1775260522&Signature=HFo7kynzdw5WVIs7v7~DdfgZL-qR~7JGtR~NItlb5DuEitpLIMHiueIalgbYVT1x6iTET9Yhl3Uc3nL3-08XHuYAVJFCD~bgJuNmBb9ZLXTR0rbhluhYXlusdjuG8jvJGBF3o4ymNknBcJfa6Swdj90zMthCxTx48IO4HaJIiiumGzw12e9mLv82XRJT9g0s20QiR4-8S7viHtjtSb8hrsSGi5CfMx1BoZ0upjNWsajBdJLBGmYOM87SL3Xx7i12BKlK0lppCvO33kUrffM9pXRbgdeyuILdXiCNZFJgKiCair57g1CXyj~ZMSG8mgmhnyotPtSI~cF34Vf8sXq3BA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Will County, IL","date","2025-07-03T16:48:02Z","article","“Hi. My name is Tracy Henning. I've been a Will County resident since I was 4,” Henning told the board during public comment, then described repeated heavy dust fallout from a nearby grain elevator in unincorporated Peotone near a small community called Andres.

Henning said the dust has been falling daily for years and described physical and environmental effects: blackened cars, damaged garden foliage and “very substantial” dust that she says has contributed to serious health problems. She said she has been diagnosed with conditions she described as “toxic brain dust syndrome” and, more recently, lupus, and that symptoms worsen after dust events: “Every time the dust falls, it causes me serious debilitating symptoms. I can't even get out of bed,” she said.

Board members acknowledged the complaint and urged Henning to provide information to county staff so officials could pursue follow‑up. Julie Berkowitz, speaking as a board member, said she would ask county staff to gather Henning’s address and other details and suggested the matter may need review by the county land use department. “If you will provide Mr. Pelkey your address and all of the information he needs so we can proceed with this,” Berkowitz said.

Henning said she has contacted federal and state environmental authorities. A board member referenced an EPA or Illinois agency action and an apparent letter of intent to sue, but department staff did not provide a resolution at the meeting.

The board did not take formal action. Members asked staff to coordinate among the health department and land use staff and to follow up with Henning after the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Will County Public Health & Safety Committee Meeting July 3, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Tracy Henning of unincorporated Peotone told the Will County board that heavy daily dust fallout from a nearby grain elevator has caused environmental damage and severe health symptoms, and she asked the county to intervene.","taxTitle","Will County, Illinois","taxId",2549,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6179124,"Will County health officials warn grant cuts could shrink services; board asks for detailed data",2449,196000,2645000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5133636-6980e6e4746830cc55e0b297819c61ac&start=196&end=2645","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5133636-6980e6e4746830cc55e0b297819c61ac/thumbnail_196000.jpg","/articles/6179124/Will-County/Illinois/Will-County-health-officials-warn-grant-cuts-could-shrink-services-board-asks-for-detailed-data","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6179124-a4341eb28bbd8bc8556f2fbda7c0e93c/orig.mp4?Expires=1775260522&Signature=W6wFqWTZA1xJ7PZ86qhpq7tbf4cYi2YG5n5gjDhAaR2nZ2enQ1-G01DU0Dq5WNUPsfB1PEx~NgWKa6Nj9qFhon8CCha2BQAc2LhQ~hBhwmXiCxI2tCSLX7X1tb6wkL6lPcfrh~Fg5JMCiTT3yDXOEY9oW8hPhD8p6Fi34KoFPcF5XdwCh9TPYz1I64HRs09REPiXlkMqY6DUziYmPUCuRR802dDv0hXdrWz4M~kjHlRRZThC8MWgbzoPHiaOevgmpUvzjPAfXEitI1inm9Lcz~hZ3YfOTkz9sYF~p3NFf7KnBML0BFiWi8vuiizSGXBqPkxBgEymj2OUd6ThGCsneg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Elizabeth Balana, of the Will County Health Department, told the county board that several grants were reduced or terminated starting July 1 and that the department is reviewing programs to determine which services would remain.

“Under impending reductions in revenue, we did have 1 of our grants, the well woman grant terminated,” Balana said. She added the department was “notified that our better birth outcomes comprehensive grant is being reduced by $51,630, and we were also notified that our emergency preparedness grant will have a 27.52 reduction. However, we don't know the amount because they haven't told us what our grant is going to be, and that started on July 1.”

The health department said those changes, together with possible federal and state Medicaid shifts, have already affected staffing and could force program cuts. Balana said the department is “losing staff in immunizations, in communicable disease, in emergency preparedness, and better birth outcomes, and maternal health and child.” She told the board the health department will review which community programs another entity might provide before proposing cuts and said the board of health is considering a request for additional levy funding for fiscal 2026.

Board members pressed for specific data about the size and use of affected grants. Julie Berkowitz, a board member, asked for “a breakdown of where this grant [the well woman grant] is spent” and requested the department submit its budget for the grant that covered activity through June 30. Costa, another member, cited a figure from Balana’s report saying Medicaid and Medicare revenue for the last fiscal year was $7,000,000 and asked whether a full loss of that revenue would mean a $7 million shortfall.

Balana cautioned the board that Medicaid changes being discussed at state and federal levels would phase in over years and that it was difficult to estimate exact impacts. She told the board, “60% of the health department's revenue does come from Medicaid and Medicare dollars,” and that “85% of patients that utilize our behavioral health services … pay through Medicaid.”

Board members and department staff also discussed immunizations and the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. Balana and Cheryl Picard, assistant division director of family health services, explained why many private pediatric offices no longer participate in VFC: strict inventory and documentation rules and frequent cold‑chain monitoring. “There’s inventories that need to be done, you know, twice a day,” Picard said. Denise Bergen, assistant executive director at the health department, said the department provides VFC and related adult programs and can charge a capped administrative fee for those vaccines.

The department reported program updates that it will include in the budget review: the county’s community health center — “over 20 years old” — needs facility repairs; a new WIC milk depot opened at the North Branch office in Bolingbrook in partnership with Mother’s Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes (the department said a donor brought “a thousand ounces to donate, which is 10 gallons”); and the department’s iPLAN (Illinois needs assessment) was approved by the board of health and will be submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health for certification as a local health department requirement.

Requests and next steps recorded during the meeting include: the board asking staff to provide a detailed budget breakdown for the terminated well woman grant; counts and historical data on how many uninsured and Medicaid/Medicare patients the department serves (including how many vaccinations are provided through VFC vs. other channels); a list of state grant amounts the department receives; and clarification of which federal or state pass‑through funds have been received or remain pending. Balana said the department would work with the board and return with additional information at the next meeting.

The board did not take a formal vote on any budget changes at the meeting; members instructed staff to compile the requested data for future consideration.","Will County Health Department staff told the county board that multiple grant reductions and a terminated “well woman” grant are forcing program reviews and could lead the department to ask commissioners for additional levy funding for fiscal 2026. Board members asked staff for detailed budgets and service counts before the next meeting.","actionData","errors"]

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Peotone resident tells Will County board dust from nearby grain facility is making her ill; board asks staff to follow up

Will County health officials warn grant cuts could shrink services; board asks for detailed data