Health and Hospitals Committee of the Board of Commissioners of Cook County
Meeting on March 5, 2009
Commissioners Silvestri and Collins had proposed a resolution to the Board of Commissioners in opposition to the relocation of the Cook County Department of Public Health to the Oak Forest Hospital of Cook County Campus. It was considered at this meeting. This Committee is a standing Committee of the whole and includes all 17 members. (Its origins predate the establishment of the Independent Board of the Health and Hospitals System. Jerry Butler, the Cook County Board representative on CCHHS, serves as chair.)
The Directors of DPH and Capital Planning gave arguments in favor of the move and noted that renovation of the Oak Forest facility were underway with a target finish date in 2011. They cited the need to consolidate emergency management functions in which DPH is involved at a site on the outskirts of the County for safety reasons. They stated that the current office in Oak Park provides only administrative functions that do not involve the public and that clinical services for west suburban residents are located in Maywood and Cicero. Vital statistics have been transferred to the Clerk's office. The current lease to 2011 is $600,000 and operating expenses about $50,000 annually. The build out in Oak Forest would cost about $5.1 million. Operating expenses would continue.
Arguments against the move were made by several Commissioners and the President of the Village of Oak Park and the current building leaser. These included the convenient central location and public transportation for employee access and the harm that would be done to the Village by removing (variously) 70 to 100 workers from the Downtown. The leaser offered to negotiate rent to retain the Department. Concerns were also raised about the construction cost in this tight economy.
After lengthy discussion and no evidence of consensus, a motion to defer the discussion was approved.
Submitted by Nancy Staunton
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