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July 2025 Public Health E-Newsletter 

Stay safe in the summer heat

As we get into the real heat of the summer, it’s time to remember all the tips and strategies for avoiding heat-related illness while having fun in the sun. Though some of these may seem like no-brainers, it's important to prioritize safety and be proactive when we're at the beach, pool, parks, picnics and camps this summer!

Stay cool – When temps really heat up, avoid spending time in the sun. If you must go out, wear lightweight, light-colored clothing to protect your skin. If you don’t have air conditioning, find a place to cool off, even if just for a couple hours during the day. Here is a list of cooling centers nearby:

• All three branches of Oak Park Public Library serve as cooling centers during regular business hours. Click here for hours and locations.
• The Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security also provides an updated list of cooling centers for residents who do not have access to air conditioning. Click here to view.
• For a list of cooling centers in Chicago, click here.

Stay hydrated – Hydrate before you leave the house, carry water with you when you go out and don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.

Look out for others – Those most at-risk for heat-related illness are infants and children, adults over 65, people with chronic health conditions, outdoor workers, athletes and people who do not have air conditioning in their home. Check in on your family and neighbors!

Don’t leave anyone (people or animals) in a parked car, even with the windows open. Every year, children die of heatstroke after being left in hot cars. For a visual cue to remind you to never leave your child in their carseat, leave a stuffed animal in your child’s car seat. When you strap in your child, move the stuffy to the front seat. When you notice the stuffy, remember to check the car seat in back. 

Signs that a person needs to cool off and hydrate include headache, dizziness, nausea and a racing heart. Seek medical help immediately if the symptoms don’t improve after an hour, if they get worse or if a person becomes confused, vomits or passes out.

Opioid overdose training

Narcan Training – Join us at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 9 at the Oak Park Main Library for a free 90-minute community training on opioid overdose prevention and the use of Narcan nasal spray. Learn harm reduction principles, how to recognize an overdose and how Narcan works — with hands-on practice included. All participants will receive a free opioid overdose prevention kit. Sign up for this or a future training here!

Beekeeping in Oak Park

Bees serve a critical role as pollinators within the Village of Oak Park ecosystem. Since 2011, the Village has permitted residents to keep bee colonies as outlined in Chapter 20, Article 11 of the Village Code. This ordinance allows residents to keep up to two honeybee colonies. They must provide on-site water resources and an appropriate flyaway barrier (an obstacle that forces bees to fly higher and helps them avoid people). Beekeepers must also maintain hive maintenance records. The cost of the beekeeping permit is $75 per year.  

The Public Health Department will not issue a beekeeping permit for a property within 150 feet of a residence of a person with an anaphylactic reaction to bee stings. Anyone who has been diagnosed with such an allergy by a licensed physician is encouraged to register with the department by completing this form.

Read more about beekeeping in Oak Park on our Animal Control webpage. Feel free to reach out to our Animal Control Officer with specific questions at 708-358-5480.

Bike helmets: What's the fuss?

Many cyclists who don't wear helmets think that if they ride carefully and skillfully, they won't have an accident. The reality is there are many risks on the road that have nothing to do with the person riding the bike: distracted drivers, surprise potholes, pedestrians that step into the road and other less-skilled cyclists.  Village ordinance requires all residents under the age of 17 to wear a helmet. Aside from following the law, wearing a helmet is the most effective way to avoid life-altering injury while riding a bike. Here are some statistics that illustrate just how effective helmets are: Bicycle helmets dramatically reduce head injury during an accident by 48% and serious head injury by 60%. (source) Helmet wearing reduces your risk of traumatic brain injury by 53%. (source) Helmet use is associated with a 34% reduction in the risk of death and serious injury in a cycling crash. (source) Not wearing a helmet triples fatal head injury risk! Cyclists who do not wear helmets are about three times more likely to die from head injuries than those who do. (source) Most cyclist fatalities involve no helmet: In the United States, 62% of bicyclists killed in 2022 were not wearing helmets. (source) Many ordinances focus on helmet-wearing by children and have been effective in reducing child bicyclist deaths over the years. However, deaths among bicyclists age 20 and older increased almost fivefold from 1975 to 2022. (source)

Food safety for your summer gatherings

Nothing says summer like backyard barbecues, picnics and gathering with friends and family for an outdoor meal. Prevent food poisoning this summer by following four simple steps: clean, separate, cook and chill. Clean: Wash your hands, utensils and surfaces often. Separate: Use separate cutting boards and plates for produce, meat, poultry, seafood and eggs. Cook: Use a food thermometer to cook to the proper internal temperature and keep food hot until served. Chill: Refrigerate perishable foods within two hours of setting it out. Read about the four steps and much more on safe food handling at foodsafety.gov.

What does the Village do about mosquitoes?

In Northern Illinois, the mosquito-borne illness of primary concern is West Nile Virus. The Oak Park Public Health Department works with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Des Plaines Valley Mosquito Abatement District to keep tabs on West Nile Virus through regular testing of mosquitoes in the area. Dead crows, robins and blue jays, the birds most likely affected by West Nile Virus, also are tested when found.

The Des Plaines Valley Mosquito Abatement District treats all street catch basins with larvicide every seven to 10 days during the mosquito breeding season. The abatement district also treats catch basins on private property on request. 

To learn more about West Nile Virus, Village programming and what you can do to reduce mosquitoes on your property, visit our West Nile Virus webpage.