Health Advocates Highlight Essential Health Services Provided by Cook County

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Health

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was joined by Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS) CEO Dr. Jay Shannon at Provident Hospital to highlight the essential health services provided by Cook County and why the County needs to continue to fund vital public health and hospitals work. The President and Dr. Shannon also were joined by Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore (4th District), Illinois Public Health Institute CEO Elissa Bassler, Provident doctors, nurses and patients, as well as public health advocates and members of the south side communities served by Provident. In addition to providing 45 percent of all charity care in Cook County, the Health and Hospitals System is also a leader in care coordination, community health investment and focus on preventative medicine. Of the 350,000 new Medicaid patients in Cook County, 140,000 of them are covered by CountyCare, the Health and Hospitals System’s Medicaid managed care plan.

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Health

Provident was one of two locations, along with CCHHS’s Austin Health Center, that was set to receive a combined $1 million from new revenue generated by the sweetened beverage tax to open lifestyle centers designed to promote healthy living. The south and west sides of Chicago are home to some of the County’s most vulnerable patients and many of the patients CCHHS serves. “We know that encouraging our residents to lead healthier lives, and providing them with the support they need to do so, is the moral and cost effective way to run Cook County—a county where we spend 46 percent of our budget on public health-related costs,” President Preckwinkle said. “I believe we are at a crossroads. We can keep this added revenue, and Cook County can be healthier, safer and more efficient. Or we can get rid of it and we can go backwards and be sicker, less safe and less efficient. The Health and Hospitals System has estimated it spends approximately $200 million annually treating sugar-consumption-liked conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and tooth decay. Last year, CCHHS had nearly 44,000 ophthalmology visits in its health system. Illinois Public Health Institute’s Elissa Bassler praised the community health-based work being done by CCHHS and reemphasized the positive health outcomes that could be generated by a sweetened beverage tax.

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