Established 1930

After months of sheltering at home, many people are yearning for a family excursion to the beach. On July 14, the sand and all its fun came to residents of a local memory care community when Grace Point Place, in Oak Lawn, created a beach experience right outside its door.

The community set up beach umbrellas and chairs, played beach music, served cold drinks and snacks and – especially important – arranged an array of containers with sand. Then one by one, dressed in beach attire, residents met their families outdoors to enjoy the fun together. Among the highlights was dipping feet into the warm sand to emulate the physical sensation of being at the shore.

“Sensory cues are especially important for those living with memory impairment because they stir recollections of pleasurable moments from the past,” said Laporsha Chavers, executive director of Grace Point Place. “In creating this beach experience, our goal is to provide wonderful summer sensations and a family get-together that otherwise aren’t currently available to our residents because of the pandemic.”

Full story available in the Oak Lawn Independent

Chief of Police/Interim Acting Village Manager Randy Palmer announced the appointment of his replacement for the position of Chief of Police. Division Chief of Patrol Daniel Vittorio was selected from within the ranks of the Oak Lawn Police Department. Dan will be the 12th Chief of Police to serve the Village of Oak Lawn since the first Chief was appointed more than 100 years ago.

Full story available in the Oak Lawn Independent

Back in April, administrators from Richards High School asked representatives from the senior class for a wish list for graduation if the pandemic precluded a traditional ceremony.

During the Zoom conference call, the students consistently mentioned two hopes: If COVID-19 prevented a traditional ceremony, they wanted to walk the Performing Arts Center stage one more time and they would like their families to attend. “So that’s exactly what we’re giving them,” said Associate Principal Toriano Griggs.

Over the course of four days, every member of the Class of 2020 received the opportunity to have their name announced as a graduate, receive their diploma, and take photos to commemorate their achievement. 

Families registered during 10-minute intervals on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 8-11. Everyone followed social distancing guidelines and wore facemasks to limit the risk of spreading infection.

Full story available in the Oak Lawn Independent

OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Evergreen Park has a new, interventional radiology suite, becoming one of only a handful of centers in the nation to offer the state-of-the-art imaging system which combines two types of imaging technology, CT and fluoroscopy, in one single machine, which shortens procedure times and requires fewer trips to the hospital for patients.

For many years, surgery was the only treatment available for many conditions. Today, many conditions can be treated less invasively by interventional radiologists who specialize in minimally invasive, targeted treatments, combining diagnostic and clinical experience across all specialties. They use X-rays, CT and/or ultrasound, and other imaging to advance a catheter in the body, usually in an artery, to treat at the source of the disease internally.

Full story available in the Oak Lawn Independent