Forest Park Board of Health Recommends Mental Health Initiatives

Proposals include hiring a social worker and creating a mental health resource directory

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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The Forest Park Board of Health presented the results of a community wellness survey, which found that 69% of residents experienced anxiety and 56% experienced depression in the past year. To address these findings, the board recommended that the village invest in a mental health resource directory, hire a licensed social worker, strengthen partnerships with neighboring communities, regularly solicit resident feedback, and provide more mental health support for civic employees.

Why it matters

The survey results highlight the significant mental health challenges facing the Forest Park community, underscoring the need for more accessible and comprehensive mental health resources. The Board of Health's recommendations aim to improve residents' ability to find and access the support they need, while also supporting the wellbeing of the village's own workforce.

The details

The Board of Health's wellness survey found that 69% of the 158 Forest Park households surveyed experienced anxiety in the past year, and 56% experienced depression. The board noted that 56% of respondents said they would know who to call in a mental health crisis, which they said was a relatively high percentage compared to a similar survey in Oak Park. To address these findings, the board proposed five key recommendations to the village council: 1) Invest in a regularly updated directory of mental health resources, 2) Hire a licensed social worker to facilitate access to resources, 3) Strengthen partnerships with neighboring communities, 4) Regularly solicit feedback from residents on mental health, and 5) Provide more training and support for frontline civic employees.

  • The Board of Health presented its recommendations at the February 9, 2026 village council meeting.
  • The board's wellness survey and community assessment was conducted in early 2025.

The players

Susan Buss

A member of the Forest Park Board of Health.

Lindsey Baish-Flynn

A member of the Forest Park Board of Health.

Michelle Melin-Rogovin

A commissioner in the village of Forest Park.

Jessica Voogd

A commissioner in the village of Forest Park.

Karen Dylewski

A former community resource in Forest Park who unofficially acted as a social worker for residents.

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What they’re saying

“One of the important things we wanted to know is, would the residents know who to call if they had a mental health crisis, and we had a 56% positive reply to that, which is pretty high.”

— Susan Buss, Board of Health member (forestparkreview.com)

“I want to state up front that some of these recommendations do require financial investment and others do not. But regardless of their current feasibility, these recommendations are rooted in data and the collective expertise of the Board of Health, and hopefully they are going to provide a benchmark to work towards within this community.”

— Lindsey Baish-Flynn, Board of Health member (forestparkreview.com)

“This is a really timely recommendation given the retirement of our community treasure, Karen Dylewski. She was not an official social worker, but our research showed that she very much acted unofficially in this capacity for residents, so this would be a huge hole to fill.”

— Lindsey Baish-Flynn, Board of Health member (forestparkreview.com)

“I appreciated the depth of the analysis and the work that you did to engage the community and our partners in the village about this. I'm still digesting the report because it was a lot of information, but I definitely am interested in conversations and welcome the opportunity to talk further.”

— Michelle Melin-Rogovin, Village Commissioner (forestparkreview.com)

“I think we all have some ideas of what we might find in seeing some of the responses and doing some digging. But to have this rooted in data, to have some of those questions clearly answered, it's really helping us see how to move forward and in what areas to focus our limited resources on.”

— Jessica Voogd, Village Commissioner (forestparkreview.com)

What’s next

The village council will discuss the Board of Health's recommendations and determine which initiatives they can feasibly implement given the village's current financial situation.

The takeaway

The Forest Park community is facing significant mental health challenges, with high rates of anxiety and depression reported by residents. The Board of Health's data-driven recommendations provide a roadmap for the village to improve access to mental health resources and support, which could have a meaningful impact on the wellbeing of both residents and civic employees.