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WIC moves to Woodstock, mobile clinic plans, and county reports high influenza activity
Summary
The Board of Health heard that WIC and certain clinic services moved to the mental health board facility while Crystal Lake renovation continues; staff expect a mobile clinic to begin visits in March after state approvals and noted influenza transmission and hospitalizations are up from last year.
McHenry County Health Department staff told the Board of Health that several clinic services formerly operating in Crystal Lake have moved temporarily to other locations and that a mobile clinic is being prepared to restore local access.
Staff said the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program and Wise Woman services were relocated and that WIC clients will be served out of the Woodstock office until the mobile clinic is approved and operational. The department has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the county mental health board to park the mobile unit in the mental health board’s lot while services resume in the area. Staff said they hope to have state approvals and be operating the mobile clinic in March, with anticipated regular stops two days per week at the mental health board location; expansion to other county sites, including Harvard, is planned afterward.
On respiratory illness, staff said influenza transmission is high this season. Emergency-department and inpatient data indicate hospitalizations are nearly twice last year’s levels, though severity is similar to the 2022–23 season. Staff reported that COVID-19 and RSV are starting to decline.
Board members discussed transportation barriers for clients and staff noted county DOT options and a county-Uber partnership that can subsidize trips under certain conditions; staff also described using QR codes and text-based payment options to ease online transactions for animal registrations and other services.
No formal board vote was required for the relocation and mobile-clinic plan; staff will continue to work with the state on approvals and return to the board with updates.
