REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION,

INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND VETERANS RELATIONS

 

May 28, 2008

 

The Honorable,

The Board of Commissioners of Cook County

 

ATTENDANCE

 

Present:

Chairman Suffredin, Vice Chairman Silvestri and Commissioners Beavers, Butler, Claypool, Daley, Gorman, Goslin, Maldonado, Moreno, Murphy, Peraica, Quigley, Schneider and Sims (15)

 

Absent:

Commissioners Collins and Steele (2)

 

Also Present:

Patrick T. Driscoll, Jr. - Deputy State’s Attorney, Chief, Civil Actions Bureau;  Elizabeth Reidy - Deputy Chief, Civil Actions Bureau;  David Ansell, MD, MPH -  Chief Medical Officer, Associate Dean and Vice President of Hospital Affairs, Rush University Medical Center;  Warren L. Batts - Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Premark International;  Sister Sheila Lyne, RSM - President and Chief Executive Officer, Mercy Hospital Medical Center; Luis Munoz, MD - Director of Occupational Medicine, WorkCare Medical Management

 

 

Court Reporter:     Anthony W. Lisanti, C.S.R.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

        Your Committee on Legislation, Intergovernmental and Veterans Relations of the Board of Commissioners of Cook County met pursuant to notice on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at the hour of 10:00 A.M. in the Board Room, Room 569, County Building, 118 North Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois.

 

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

 

294146

CANDIDATES FOR THE INTERIM BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COOK COUNTY BUREAU OF HEALTH (ADDITIONAL APPOINTMENTS).  Transmitting a Communication from Todd H. Stroger, President, Cook County Board of Commissioners, dated May 15, 2008.

 

With the restructuring and reorganization of the Bureau of Health Services, the passage of adequate new revenue found in the 2008 Budget and an agreement on the legislation needed to establish an independent hospital governance, the County Board, under my leadership, is poised to take the next step, in a series of positive steps, to preserve the Cook County Health Care System.

 

 

 

 

As this process moves forward, it is important to affirm that all of the parties involved have worked with genuine concern for the long-term well-being of our health system. The organizations which participated in the Nominating Committee did a tremendous job in forwarding a solid group of individuals.  Additionally, I believe the County Board did their duty in analyzing the nominees presented by this administration. This is not a perfect process (and it is not enough to merely vote “no”), but it is the process we must move forward in order to ensure that our children’s generation has universal access to quality health care in Cook County. 

 

Based on the amendments passed by the Board to the Cook County Health and Hospitals System Ordinance, I am transmitting the names of four additional persons to serve:

 

·             David Ansell, MD, MPH: Chief Medical Officer, Associate Dean and Vice President of Hospital Affairs, Rush University Medical Center;

 

·             Warren L. Batts: Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Premark International;

 

·             Sister Sheila Lyne, RSM: President and Chief Executive Officer, Mercy Hospital Medical Center; and

 

·             Luis Munoz, MD, MPH: Director of Occupational Medicine, WorkCare Medical Management

 

Their vast experience in health care administration, as well as their backgrounds in both the public and private sectors, will be much-needed assets.  I am confident that these four individuals will bring professional and independent oversight and I therefore urge the Board of Commissioners to provide for their swift confirmation.

 

*   Referred to the Committee on Legislation, Intergovernmental and   Veterans Relations on May 20, 2008.

 

Chairman Suffredin explained the procedures that would be used for the meeting.  First, testimony from the public would be taken on all proposed nominees.  Next, each proposed nominee would provide a brief presentation of their qualifications, after which Committee members would be given the opportunity to ask questions of the proposed nominee.  Finally, the Committee members would take a roll call vote on each proposed nominee after all had presented to the Committee. 

 

The proposed nominees presented in the following order:

 

    1. David Ansell, MD, MPH
    2. Sister Sheila Lyne, RSM
    3. Luis Munoz, MD, MPH
    4. Warren L. Batts

 

 

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

 

1.         Quentin Young, MD                 Chairman, Health and Medicine Policy Research Group

2.         George Blakemore                  Concerned Citizen

 

 

Chairman Suffredin requested that a communication received from the Emergency Network to Save Cook County Health Services be made a part of the record.  (See Attachment #1.)

 

David Ansell provided a brief overview of his qualifications, which was followed by a question and answer session with the Committee members.

 

Sister Sheila Lyne provided a brief overview of her qualifications, which was followed by a question and answer session with the Committee members.

 

Luis Munoz provided a brief overview of his qualifications, which was followed by a question and answer session with the Committee members.

 

Warren L. Batts provided a brief overview of his qualifications, which was followed by a question and answer session with the Committee members.

 

Chairman Suffredin requested that a copy of the testimony of July 10, 1997 of Warren L. Batts before the Subcommittee on Social Security of the House Committee on Ways and Means be made a part of the record.  (See Attachment #2.)

 

Vice Chairman Silvestri, seconded by Commissioner Daley, moved to concur with the recommendation of the President (Communication Number 294146) and to confirm the nomination of David Ansell to the Cook County Health and Hospitals System Board of Directors.  A Roll Call was taken, the vote of yeas and nays being as follows:

 

 

ROLL CALL to concur with the recommendation of the president

and to confirm the nomination of David Ansell to the Cook county health and hospitals system board of directors

(COMMUNICATION NUMBER 294146)

 

 

Yeas:

Chairman Suffredin, Vice Chairman Silvestri and Commissioners Butler, Claypool, Daley, Gorman, Goslin, Moreno, Murphy, Quigley, Schneider and Sims (12)

 

Nays:

Commissioners Maldonado and Peraica (2)

 

Absent:

Commissioners Beavers, Collins and Steele (3)

 

The motion to concur and confirm CARRIED.

 

 

Vice Chairman Silvestri, seconded by Commissioner Murphy, moved to concur with the recommendation of the President (Communication Number 294146) and to confirm the nomination of Sister Sheila Lyne to the Cook County Health and Hospitals System Board of Directors.  A Roll Call was taken, the vote of yeas and nays being as follows:

 

 

ROLL CALL to concur with the recommendation of the president

and to confirm the nomination of SISTER SHEILA LYNE to the Cook county health and hospitals system board of directors

(COMMUNICATION NUMBER 294146)

 

 

Yeas:

Chairman Suffredin, Vice Chairman Silvestri and Commissioners Butler, Claypool, Daley, Gorman, Goslin, Moreno, Murphy, Peraica, Quigley, Schneider and Sims (13)

 

Nays:

Commissioner Maldonado (1)

 

Absent:

Commissioners Beavers, Collins and Steele (3)

 

The motion to concur and confirm CARRIED.

 

 

Vice Chairman Silvestri, seconded by Commissioner Moreno, moved to concur with the recommendation of the President (Communication Number 294146) and to confirm the nomination of Luis Munoz to the Cook County Health and Hospitals System Board of Directors.  A Roll Call was taken, the vote of yeas and nays being as follows:

 

 

ROLL CALL to concur with the recommendation of the president

and to confirm the nomination of LUIS MUNOZ to the Cook county health and hospitals system board of directors

(COMMUNICATION NUMBER 294146)

 

 

Yeas:

Chairman Suffredin, Vice Chairman Silvestri and Commissioners Butler, Claypool, Daley, Goslin, Moreno, Murphy, Peraica, Quigley and Sims (11)

 

Nays:

Commissioners Gorman, Maldonado and Schneider (3)

 

Absent:

Commissioners Beavers, Collins and Steele (3)

 

The motion to concur and confirm CARRIED.

 

 

Vice Chairman Silvestri, seconded by Commissioner Goslin, moved to concur with the recommendation of the President (Communication Number 294146) and to confirm the nomination of Warren L. Batts to the Cook County Health and Hospitals System Board of Directors.  A Roll Call was taken, the vote of yeas and nays being as follows:

 

ROLL CALL to concur with the recommendation of the president

and to confirm the nomination of WARREN L. BATTS to the Cook county health and hospitals system board of directors

(COMMUNICATION NUMBER 294146)

 

Yeas:

Chairman Suffredin, Vice Chairman Silvestri and Commissioners Butler, Claypool, Daley, Gorman, Goslin, Moreno, Murphy, Quigley, Schneider and Sims (12)

 

Nays:

Commissioner Maldonado (1)

 

Present:

Commissioner Peraica (1)

 

Absent:

Commissioners Beavers, Collins and Steele (3)

 

The motion to concur and confirm CARRIED.

 

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

 

YOUR COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS

WITH REGARD TO THE MATTERS NAMED HEREIN:

 

Communication Number 294146                     Approved

 

                                        David Ansell            Nomination Confirmed

                                        Sister Sheila Lyne  Nomination Confirmed

                                        Luis Munoz             Nomination Confirmed

                                        Warren L. Batts      Nomination Confirmed

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Committee on Legislation, Intergovernmental and Veterans Relations

 

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Larry Suffredin, Chairman

Attest:

 

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Matthew B. DeLeon, Secretary

 

** The transcript and 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.