Elk Grove Village mayor wants suburb to have its own health department

Elk Grove Village mayor wants town to have its own health department

The mayor of Elk Grove Village wants to break away from the state when it comes to the health of his residents.

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. - Bucking state-mandated mask requirements, the mayor of Elk Grove Village wants to take his community’s health into the village’s hands.

Mayor Craig Johnson proposed Thursday plans for an Elk Grove Village Health Department.

He believes it would allow the village to be more responsive, in the future, to residents' unique needs.

"We look at things more locally. We understand how things work. We can see what's going on," said Mayor Johnson.

The mayor says when Cook County mandated a vaccination identification requirement to enter certain businesses, part of Elk Grove Village had to comply and the rest didn’t because it is in DuPage County.

Elk Grove Village looking to create own health department

The mayor of Elk Grove Village does not want to leave the next health crisis to outside guidance. He announced plans to establish the town's own health department. Mayor Craig Johnson joins First at Four to discuss this plan.

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"It made no sense at all. So that's why we feel locally, we're more in touch, we better handle what's going on in Elk Grove, and we think we can take care of it better," he added.

Cook County, Chicago, Evanston, Oak Park, Skokie and Stickney Township have their own state-certified health departments.

It’s been more than 50 years since the last one was created.