Cook County Board April Committee Meetings

Cook County Board of Commissioners
Committee Meetings
April 8 and 9, 2025

Health & Hospitals Committee
April 8, 2025
Dr. Joshi, interim Chief Operating Officer of the Cook County Department of Public Health (“CCDPH”) presented the quarterly update on Covid-19 and other infectious diseases of concern for Suburban Cook County. Item 23-3815 

• COVID-19 & RSV: low activity with few emergency department visits. 
• Flu:  moderate activity, but trending down. 
• Avian influenza: no human-to-human transmission has been detected yet; cases are primarily in agricultural workers with poultry and dairy cattle; 70 cases nationally/none in IL. 
• Measles, none in IL so far.  
• CCDPH nurses administering MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine at residences and work with medical providers on measles testing; vaccinations will be initiated as a Public Health measles response when cases arise.
• Fall flu vaccines:  the FDA external advisory committee meeting which normally determines the flu vaccine formula each year was cancelled; the manufacturers of the flu vaccine are moving forward based on the World Health Organization recommendation. 
• The meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (“ACIP”) was postponed to mid-April.  The ACIP determines who should get vaccines, which is important for medical insurance coverage.

Numerous questions, primarily on measles and vaccination safety, from Chair Lowry, and Commissioners Kevin Morrison, Aguilar, Moore, Trevor, Miller, Sean Morrison, and Daley.  

• How do we track immigrants, especially new ones, and the general population for vaccination status? Dr. Joshi said checking school records for required vaccinations and whether there is vaccination exemption for religious or medical reasons.  
• Do health providers know how to recognize measles, and can there be transmission by asymptomatic individuals?  Dr Joshi responded that they were working on communications to health providers for recognition and treatment of measles cases which is a reportable disease to Public Health.  
• There is messaging on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines to counter concerns patients may have on largely unproven adverse vaccine effects.

Observer:  Susan Kern  

Asset Management Committee
April 9, 2025
All items were approved. Most discussed by the Commissioner was the proposal to hire firms to be the Construction Manager at Risk for maintaining Stroger Hospital.

• The Bureau of Asset Management and the Chief Procurement Officer proposed awarding a Construction Manager at Risk (“CmaR”) contract to Power/Ujamaa 7 LLC. for ongoing upgrades and maintenance of the Stroger Hospital with a budget of $373,000,000.00. Stroger is 22 years old and they want to maintain the systems and structure so it will have a life span of 50-70 years.   This will require major ongoing projects such as roof replacement, LED lighting, elevator modifications, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing updates for both the Hospital and its Powerhouse.    
• The CMaR process is different in that design and construction are developed together and the one general contractor oversees all the needed projects and sources the subcontractors.   Asset Management Staff will weigh in on the choice of the subcontractors, which will all have to meet the standard Cook County procurement requirements concerning diversity and residence. Asset Management staff proposed reporting back to the Commissioners once a year on project and cost status.    
• There were several questions from the Commissioners who were concerned about the main contractor sourcing the subcontractors, the Commissioners not approving those separate contracts, and the length of time between reports. Commissioners Gainer and Sean Morrison were particularly concerned that the Board would not have closer oversight on the subcontractors. Earl Bitoy of the Bureau of Administration, Ms. Granata, Earl Maning of Asset Management, and staff from the Chief Procurement Office, and the Health and Hospital Procurement Office assured the Commissioners that this process would be the most efficient and cost effective with over-run guarantees. This was approved by the Health and Hospital Board Finance Committee on April 3.   
• This Item 25-0002 was approved with Commissioner Anaya voting present and Commissioner Sean Morrison voting no.

The Committee also approved the following items:

• Two items concerning the Oak Forest Campus, site of the now closed Oak Forest Hospital:  (1) an amendment to a contract with EGM Architects to assess the infrastructure integrity of the existing buildings for possible preservation, reuse, and TIF potential; and (2) an amendment to the contract with GSG Consultants to determine if some of the buildings could be used for private redevelopment.   Commissioner Morrison asked why this was being done since the buildings at Oak Forest are outdated and all the utilities, such as the underground heating system, cannot be repaired. Only one Cook County office of Emergency Management and Regional Security is in the complex.   Elizabeth Granata, Chief of the Bureau of Asset Mgt., said that now they were working on preservation of some of the buildings with architectural and historical significance instead of demolition of all of them. The plan is to redevelop them for other uses than Cook County offices.  Items 25-011 and 25-0012 
• Cook County Health will pay the lease for another tenant in the Austin Wellness Center, Hektoen Institute which provides HIV testing.  The cost for 5 years will be $194,000 dollars.  This will ensure the institute can survive if their federal funding changes.  Item 25-1588 
• A project to determine best practices for evaluating healthy buildings in Cook County government facilities with the University of Illinois and Champaign County.  This project was initiated by the late Commissioner Deere.  Item 25-1599. 

Observer:  Kathi Graffam

Rules and Administration Committee
April 9, 2025
The Committee reviewed and approved the proposed changes to the “Public Facing Rules and Regulations” pertaining to the Procedural Rules issued by the Department of Human Rights and Ethics for the Cook County Paid Leave Ordinance.  Departments charged with implementing County ordinance draft rules which are then sent to Cook County Board for approval.  Item 25-1343

• The changes were to clarify the effective dates relating to employees of school districts and park districts.  The Cook County ordinance is consistent with the State law, except that the County does not exempt school and park district personnel from the requirement that paid leave be offered.  The lack of this exemption has been a point of controversy among the Commissioners in the past.
• Commissioner Britton, whose district is in the north suburbs, asked how many of the suburbs with home rule have opted out of the County ordinance.  Jennifer King, the Executive Director, did not know, but Commissioner Britton said that those in his district have all opted out.  He has one community which does not have home rule status, so it cannot opt out.  
• Commissioner Sean Morrison, whose district is also in Suburban Cook echoed Comm. Britton’s concerns.  
• Both Commissioners, along with all other members of the Committee, voted to approve the rules changes, citing that, given the ordinance, the changes were the best that could be done.  They also thanked Executive Director King for all her time and effort.

Observer:  Priscilla Mims

Finance Committee
April 9, 2025

• The Comptroller reported on the 12 months of FY 2024 ending Nov. 30, 2024:  General Fund was favorable as to budget by $223.3 M, with revenues greater than budget by 4.8% and expenses less than budgeted by 5.2%.  Also reported for the same period for the Health Fund, on a cash basis, favorable of $203.5 M, with revenues greater than budget by 0.2% and expenses less than budget by 3.9%.  Item 25-2208.  
• The Comptroller also reported on the 3 months of FY 2025 ending Feb. 28, 2025:  General Fund –favorable by $2.8 M; and Health Fund on a cash basis– unfavorable by $108 M.  Item 25-2209.  The Comptroller pointed out that a more accurate picture of the Health Fund is on an accrual basis, as contained in the next report from Cook County Health (“CCH”).    Illinois currently owes $108.1 M to the County.
• For the  CCH  monthly report, there are 2 knowns that will have a negative impact as compared to budget:  the ending of the program for Medicaid reimbursement for adult immigrants from 42 to 64 years; and the Federal Government reducing funds for the Department of Public Health by $2 M.  Item 25-1168. 

Observer:  Priscilla Mims