REPORT OF THE STROGER & CERMAK
HOSPITALS SUBCOMMITTEE
The Honorable,
The Board of Commissioners of
ATTENDANCE
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Present: |
Chairman Maldonado,
Commissioners Beavers, |
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Absent: |
Vice Chairman Silvestri and
Commissioners Peraica (2) |
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Also Present: |
Commissioner Collins, Randall
Mark - Director of Policy Analysis, |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Your Stroger
& Cermak Hospitals Subcommittee of the Board of Commissioners of Cook
County met pursuant to notice for a public hearing on
Chairman Maldonado addressed the
Committee by reading his statement into the record. (See Attachment #1)
Chairman Maldonado stated that he
will begin the hearing by first allowing the public to testify, followed by a
presentation by Randall Mark, Director of Policy Analysis, Cook County Bureau
of Health Services, and concluding with questions and debate from the
Commissioners.
Commissioner Quigley requested to
be added as a co-sponsor of the Resolution.
Commissioner Quigley asked that
the Committee should hear from the public testimony prior to getting into the
merits of the issue.
Commissioners
Commissioner
Butler, seconded by Commissioner Murphy moved to challenge the Chairman’s
ruling. The motion carried.
Commissioner Beavers,
seconded by Commissioner Butler, moved to sustain the ruling of the Chair; a Roll
Call was taken, with the vote of yeas and nays being as follows:
ROLL
CALL ON MOTION TO SUSTAIN THE RULING OF THE CHAIR
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Yeas: |
Chairman Maldonado (1) |
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Nays: |
Commissioners |
|
Present: |
Commissioners Beavers, |
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Absent: |
Vice Chairman Silvestri and Commissioner Peraica (2) |
The motion to sustain the ruling of
the chair FAILED.
Chairman Maldonado asked Randall Mark, Director of Policy
Analysis, Cook County Bureau of Health Services, to address the Committee.
Mr. Mark
addresses the Committee by reading his statement into the record. (See attachment #2)
Your Subcommittee has considered the
following item and upon adoption of this report, the recommendations are as
follows:
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286282 |
RESTORATION OF THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION RESTORATION OF THE WHEREAS, on April 16, 2007, the Interim Bureau Chief of the
Cook County Bureau of Health Services (“Bureau”) shut down the Bureau’s
computerized specialty referral system, known as “IRIS”, for an indefinite
period of time, abandoning thousands of uninsured patients in need of
specialty care for serious illnesses such as cancer and diabetes; and WHEREAS, for years, dozens of private community health
centers partnered with the Bureau utilizing IRIS to screen and prioritize
primary care patients in need of specialty services from the Bureau’s
specialty clinics; and WHEREAS, this cooperative partnership has saved the Bureau
the cost of providing primary care to more than 5,000 uninsured and
underinsured patients in Cook County annually; and WHEREAS, since the IRIS system shutdown, only patients in
need of urgent care will be sent to Stroger Hospital of Cook County’s main
outpatient screening center a facility notorious for long wait times; and WHEREAS, the Interim Bureau Chief has effectively cut off
thousands of patients’ access to the Bureau’s specialty clinics, forcing them
to delay their care until their condition worsens and they seek emergency
care at Stroger Hospital of Cook County; and WHEREAS, shutting down the IRIS system will not only incur
additional costs to our already deficit-ridden public health system, but it
will cause irreparable harm to NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners
directs the Cook County Bureau of Health Services to restore the IRIS
specialty referral system so that our public health system can continue to
deliver necessary and life-saving health services to the people of *Referred to the
Committee on Stroger & Cermak Hospitals Subcommittee on |
Chairman Maldonado asked the Secretary to the Board to call
upon the registered public speakers.
1) Susan Vega,
Senior Advocate,
2) Juan
Molina-Crespo, Director Policy & Government Realtions, Near North Health
Service Corporation
3) Dwayne
Mitchell,
4) Judith
Haasis, Executive Director, Community Health
5) Babs
Waldman, M.D., Medical Director, Heartland Community Health
6)
7) Dr. Dan
Ivankovitch, Former Physician, Provident Hospital Division of Orthopedics
8) Dr. Vietta
Johnson, Former Physician, Provident Hospital Division of Orthopedics
9) Joan
Sheforgen, CEO,
10) Dorothy H. Gardner,
President & CEO, Michael Reese Health Trust
11) Chaplain
Eugene J. Nevins, S.J., Chaplain,
12) Janice Adams,
Concerned Citizen
13) Lee Francis,
Interim CEO,
14) Sharon Bravo,
Concerned Citizen
Commissioner Butler asked that the Resolution be read into
the record prior to being voted on.
Commissioner Moreno, seconded by Commissioner Steele, moved the Approval
of Communication No. 286282. The motion
carried.
Commissioner Butler voted No on the Communication No. 286282.
Commissioner Moreno moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Commissioner
Steele. The motion carried and the
meeting was adjourned.
YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING ACTION WITH REGARD TO THE
MATTERS NAMED HEREIN:
Communication Number 286282 Approved
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Respectfully submitted, Stroger & Cermak Hospitals Subcommittee xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Roberto Maldonado, Chairman |
Attest:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Matthew B. DeLeon, Secretary