Health and Hospital System Board Meeting November 14, 2014

Called to order at 8:00 a.m. by acting chair Jerry Butler.  Two new board members, Ricardo Estrada and Emilie Junge, were in attendance. 

Committee reports:
Doreen Weise reported that Gladys Lopez had provided a report on numbers and placement of new hires but did not share the specific information with observers.

CEO Dr. Jay Shannon reported that 3300 staff now have flu vaccination; Sen. Durkin and CC President Preckwinkle will host a roundtable on the ACA at Erie Family Health Center; community health workers will be trained at Malcolm X College, though their role has not yet been clarified; Patrick Kennedy is spearheading an effort to raise awareness and remove the stigma associated with mental health treatment; one new patient with ebola will be treated at the University of Nebraska; there is now ebola in Mali.

CEO of Ambulatory Services Debra Carey explained that 2 RFPs will be issued to upgrade the central medical campus, including Fantus Clinic, Stroger Hospital, Pasteur Park, the power plant, the Polk Admin. building, the old Cook County hospital, parking garage, and existing Core facility.  The first goal is to address core clinical needs, with an RFP to be issued November 24 to replace Fantus Clinic*, the Polk Building, parking, and provide amenities like food service.  A tour/bidders conference will take place December 16.  The second RFP will be issued December 18 to develop real estate that can yield revenue for the County, with a tour/bidders conference January 9, 2015.

*Fantus Clinic encompasses 60,000-80,000 square feet, with 244,000 annual visits, providing a general medicine clinic, ambulatory screening, gynecology, psychiatry, pharmacy, pediatrics, and a laboratory.

Legal counsel Raymond Johnston reported that most planning is budgeted for and goes through the Office of Capital Planning. If the state of Illinois' 1115 Waiver is successful, federal funds will assist.

Peter Daniels, COO of Hospital-Based Services, reported that an assessment of existing facilities is
ongoing, along with an inventory of special needs, staffing requirements, and collaboration with Cook County's office of capital planning and real estate to review space allocations, administrative support, and parking plans.

Ideally, final responses to the RFP will be submitted by May 2015, a review in summer, shovel in the ground by the end of 2015, an 18 month to 2-year timeline for the project.

Board member Wayne Lerner cautioned that these projects most often take longer; a 2019-2020 timeline might emerge, and CCHHS should look to what the needs might be then, what the inpatient population might be several years from now, and to plan for future space and IT needs.  He suggested that the CCHHS board should have an opportunity to review ongoing plans, and to provide some oversight. "Duly noted," acting chair Butler responded.

The meeting adjourned to closed session at 9:30 a.m.

submitted by Linda Christianson