REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH & HOSPITALS

 

March 5, 2009

 

The Honorable,

The Board of Commissioners of Cook County

 

ATTENDANCE

 

Present:

Chairman Butler, Vice Chairman Goslin, Commissioners Daley, Gorman, Maldonado, Peraica, Schneider, Silvestri, Sims and Suffredin (10)

 

Absent:

Commissioners Beavers, Claypool, Moreno, Murphy, Quigley and Steele (6)

 

Excused

Absence:

 

Commissioner Collins (1)

 

Also

Present:

 

Stephen A. Martin, Jr., Ph.D., M.P.H., - Chief Operating Officer, Department of Public Health; Elizabeth Reidy, - Deputy Bureau Chief, Civil Actions Bureau, State’s Attorney’s Office; Bruce Washington, Director - Office of Capital Planning and Policy.

 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

        Your Committee on Health & Hospitals of the Board of Commissioners of Cook County met pursuant to notice on Thursday, March 5, 2009 at the hour of 2:00 P.M. in the Board Room, Room 569, County Building, 118 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois.

 

        Your Committee has considered the following items and upon adoption of this report, the recommendations are as follows:

 

 

298604

IN OPPOSITION TO THE RELOCATION OF THE COOK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH TO THE OAK FOREST HOSPITAL OF COOK COUNTY CAMPUS (PROPOSED RESOLUTION).  Submitting a Proposed Resolution sponsored by Peter N. Silvestri and Earlean Collins, County Commissioners.

 

PROPOSED RESOLUTION

 

IN OPPOSITION TO THE RELOCATION OF THE

COOK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

TO THE OAK FOREST HOSPITAL OF COOK COUNTY CAMPUS

 

WHEREAS, the Cook County Department of Public Health has been located at its current location at 1010 Lake Street in Oak Park, Illinois since 1992, having relocated from its Maybrook County Courthouse facility for the purpose of providing additional courtrooms; and

 

WHEREAS, the facility is centrally located in Cook County in downtown Oak Park, accessible to the CTA Green Line and the Blue Line, the METRA railroad line and the Eisenhower Expressway and numerous PACE and CTA bus lines; and

 

WHEREAS, the facility includes the Department’s administration offices, various educational programs, and public information resources, which are utilized by municipalities, public and private schools, community groups, the press and the public; and

 

WHEREAS, Oak Forest Hospital of Cook County is located in the far southwest section of the County and is not nearly as accessible as the Oak Park location; and

WHEREAS, the Oak Forest Hospital of Cook County site requires the expenditure of public funds, which far outweigh a long term rental of space in a central location; and

 

WHEREAS, the people of Cook County and their municipalities and schools are better served in an accessible, central location, which has been utilized as such for the past seventeen years.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and Board of Commissioners direct that all efforts and expenditures planned for the relocation of the Cook County Department of Public Health be terminated.

 

Commissioner Silvestri, seconded by Commissioner Peraica, moved Approval of Communication No. 298604.

 

Commissioner Schneider inquired as to what the cost would be to relocate the Cook County Department of Public Health to Oak Forest and how many years of leases it would take to recoup those dollars to build out what needs to be done at Oak Forest.

 

Bruce Washington, Director, Office of Capital Planning and Policy, stated that in regards to relocation cost and the renovation cost, the Office of Capital Planning and Policy has projected a cost of $5.1 million.  In reference to the lease cost currently the County is spending $601,000 annually, plus $50,000 for operating costs per year.  Mr. Washington stated that the costs are recouped within a number of years.

 

Commissioner Schneider inquired as to how much time is left on the lease that currently exists on the building which currently the Cook County Department of Public Health occupies.

 

Mr. Washington responded that the lease expires April of 2011.

 

Commissioner Schneider asked if there was a termination clause in the lease.

Stephen A. Martin, Jr., Ph.D., M.P.H., Chief Operating Officer, Department of Public Health, stated that when the lease originally came up the Department of Public Health negotiated with the landlord and let them know what the Department of Public Health’s plans were and agreed to a three (3) year time period in terms of the Capital build out.  The lease was structured in such a way that it only gives the Department of Public Health time for the renovation to build out and it also took into account that if the renovations went as quickly as they could predict (probably 2010) the Department of Public Health could get out of the lease as early as 2010.

 

Commissioner Maldonado requested that Dr. Martin conduct a survey of Department of Public Health Employees regarding the relocation.

 

Dr. Martin stated that he will perform a survey and get back to the Committee.

 

Commissioner Silvestri, seconded by Commissioner Suffredin, moved to defer Communication No. 298604.  The motion carried.  Chairman Butler, Commissioners Daley and Gorman voted No.

 

 

Chairman Butler asked the Secretary to the Board to call upon the registered public speakers, in accordance with Cook County Code, Sec. 2-108(dd):

 

1.         David Pope, President, Village of Oak Park

2.         Terry McCollon, President, McCollon Realty

 

 

Commissioner Silvestri moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Commissioner Maldonado.  The motion carried and the meeting was adjourned.

 

YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS

WITH REGARD TO THE MATTERS NAMED HEREIN:

 

Communication Number 298604                     Deferred

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Committee on Health & Hospitals

 

 

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Jerry Butler, Chairman

 

 

Attest:

 

 

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Matthew B. DeLeon, Secretary

 

 

The audio recording for this meeting is available from the Office of the Secretary to the Board, 118 North Clark Street, Room 567, Chicago, IL 60602.