As the Chicago area marks the two-year anniversary of when the COVID pandemic flared up in mid-March 2020, residents are grieving the loss of loved ones and negotiating the ‘new normal’ dictating how life now must be lived.
Franklin Park lost 36; Northlake 51
Although COVID cases have been declining rapidly over the past two months in Franklin Park, the Cook County Department of Public Health has reported 36 deaths and 4,709 cases since the pandemic began in mid-March 2020 in the suburb.
Of the village population of about 17,957 residents, 85.8% have received at least one vaccine dose, and 64.2% have had the three-shot series.
Northlake has a population of 12,290, and 51 residents have died of COVID in the past two years, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health.
At St. Gertrude Catholic Church in Franklin Park, Rev. Eryk Czarnecki has had to preside at some funerals, and is troubled by COVID’s repercussions on people’s mental health.
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“We’ve had a few elderly who have passed away from COVID, but it’s been very few,” said Czarnecki. “What I see and what I know is that there are many young people who get depressed, mostly because of the isolation, and there were some suicidal situations.
“People need counseling from a priest all the time, not just during the pandemic,” Czarnecki said. “We have support groups for the young people in the parish. Those who attend, they open up and speak, and it helps.”
Czarnecki said St. Gertrude’s previously had about 1,200 families in the parish.
“Our attendance has been about 30% less than before the pandemic,” he said. “We don’t count the people, but my impression is that I think now the number is growing. It may not be 100%, but I think it’s coming back.”
Leyden Family Service and Mental Health Center is a nonprofit that provides counseling, treatment and preventative care for adults and children in the township, which includes Franklin Park, Elmwood Park, River Grove, Northlake, parts of Norridge and some other towns.
“It’s hard to characterize specifics, but there was an increase due to the pandemic and our waiting list is large,” CEO Bruce Sewick said. “Agencies have shortage of staff—and that’s the problem, which is a COVID side effect for everybody. We’re doing the best we can to accommodate everybody.”
Sewick said his organization’s SHARE alcohol and drug rehabilitation program has had varying numbers of patients to treat.
“It’s been up and down,” he said. “The statistics show that people are overdosing to a higher degree, and that hasn’t necessarily translated to a big rush for patient substance abuse treatment.”
The COVID pandemic broke new ground for everyone when it began two years ago, Sewick said, and Leyden Family Service worked closely with mayors and township officials.
Elmwood Park lost 75; River Grove, 15
In Elmwood Park, the Cook County Department of Public Health has reported 5,841 cases and 75 deaths since the pandemic began. The village has a total population of about 24,468, and of that, 80.6% have received at least one vaccine dose, and 61.5% have had the three-shot series.
River Grove has a population of 10,076, and 15 people have died since mid-March 2020, according to the Cook County Public Health Department.
“Over the past two years, the mindset of our residents has changed to be more safe,” Elmwood Park Village President Angelo “Skip” Saviano said. “People are more aware of their surroundings, they know to wash their hands and they still want to wear masks. More importantly, I think it’s a great tribute to our businesses because not one of them has closed and gone out of business during the pandemic.”
Omar Torres of Melrose Park, is the general manager of the Elmwood Park location of the Culver’s restaurant chain.
“We’ve had to adjust and adapt, but business and sales has been steady,” Torres said. ” When we started curbside business, that made it easy to social distance. The company policy is that wearing masks has been up to the employee.”
Along with River Grove and Chicago’s Montclare neighborhood, Elmwood Park is part of the Grand Corridor Chamber of Commerce, with over 70 member businesses. The Chamber president is Katie Muellner.
“Business has been steady throughout the pandemic,” Muellner said. “We learned a lot about Zoom, promoting ourselves and doing business online.”
From the standpoint of village government, revenue from businesses “has done very well,” according to Elmwood Park Village Manager Paul Volpe. “Businesses have remained open, the village hall did not close and we’ve been pretty darn safe –because we’ve taken the pandemic very seriously. At our schools, everyone has for the most part been happy to cooperate.”
As for first responders, Elmwood Park Police Chief Frank Fagiano said: “People have been following the governor’s recommendations throughout, and our police department also has followed the guidelines. For example, if an officer needs to visit someone’s home, they will pull up in front of the house and call the resident by cell phone, which limits the in-person contact.”
Elmwood Park’s fire department also has been following guidelines throughout the pandemic.
“When COVID first started, our calls for service went down because I think people were concerned with maintaining social distancing,” Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Flaherty said. “There was some misinformation and people thought that we wouldn’t respond to their emergencies, but that was not true at all. We’ve been following the same protocols as the CDC and that hasn’t changed.”