Cook County Health • System News • December 2025

December 2025

Dear Cook County Health friends and partners,

As we come to the close of another year, I am reminded of the strength, resilience, and dedication that are the foundation of our shared work. While this year has brought its share of challenges, it has also highlighted the power of partnership and the positive impact we make together. Your commitment and passion have been a bright light for the communities we serve.

Your dedication and willingness to collaborate with Cook County Health exemplify the strength of community-driven care and the meaningful progress that comes from working side by side.

As we look ahead, our partnerships will remain integral to our work in the year to come. We value your trust, your collaboration, and your continued commitment to advancing health equity and improving lives across Cook County.

On behalf of Cook County Health, thank you for all that you do. We wish you and your loved ones peace and health during this holiday season, and we look forward to continuing our work together in the new year.

With appreciation,

Dr. Erik Mikaitis

Chief Executive Officer

Cook County Health

Provident Hospital Recognized as Top General Hospital by The Leapfrog Group

Cook County Health’s Provident Hospital has once again been named a Top General Hospital for 2025 by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization recognized as a leader in evaluating healthcare safety and quality.

This coveted award acknowledges Provident Hospital’s steadfast commitment to exceptional patient care on the South Side.

The Leapfrog Top Hospital award is one of the most significant distinctions a hospital can achieve in the United States, recognizing institutions that excel in preventing errors, accidents, injuries, and infections. Hospitals that earn this honor consistently rank at the top of the annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey, illustrating superior performance across steep national standards.

Nationally, Provident was one of 156 hospitals to be recognized, including 52 general hospitals. In Illinois, five hospitals were recognized and Provident was one of two general hospitals.

This is the second consecutive year that Provident received this recognition, which is based on reviews across multiple areas of patient care, including infection rates, safer surgery practices, and the capacity to prevent medication errors.

NAMI Chicago Launches Holiday Mental Health Awareness Campaign with Support from Cook County Health

NAMI Chicago is launching a holiday mental health awareness campaign to help area residents recognize signs of distress, access practical coping tools, and connect to free, confidential mental health resources through its Helpline and peer support groups.

The campaign was announced at a press conference with Cook County Health and builds on ongoing efforts to normalize help-seeking and expand access to care across Cook County.

“The holidays can be especially hard for people who are already carrying a lot,” said Matt Davison, CEO of NAMI Chicago. “We want Chicagoans to know that they are not alone, that what they are feeling is valid, and that support is available. Reaching out can make a real difference.”

Through the holiday campaign, NAMI Chicago is sharing messages across digital, transit, and community channels to raise awareness about how the holiday and winter season can intensify stress, anxiety, loneliness, grief, and challenging family dynamics.

The campaign also includes a Community Partner Toolkit designed for workplaces, schools, and community organizations to help connect people to support.

This holiday effort builds on a broader mental health awareness initiative launched earlier this year with grant funding from Cook County Health.

“We know that the holidays can intensify feelings and mental health challenges,” said Dr. Erik Mikaitis, Cook County Health CEO. “That’s why we are proud to work with NAMI Chicago to amplify the resources that are available to help those looking for support. No one should feel they have to suffer alone, and this campaign is about reminding people that help is a call or a text away.”

Read more here.

Free Flu and COVID Vaccination Clinics

Cook County Department of Public Health, in conjunction with Cook County Health and CountyCare, is offering free flu and COVID-19 shots at its Saturday vaccination clinics, located in five suburban Cook County locations.

Children (6 months and up) and adults can receive flu and COVID-19 vaccines at no cost, regardless of insurance coverage, at the Saturday walk-in clinics. The clinics are open on certain Saturdays from Oct. 18 through March 28, 2026, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at five different locations in suburban Cook County. A person’s immigration status will not stop them from receiving immunizations. More details about the clinics are below:

Walk-ins welcome, no appointment necessary
Resource coordination and referrals available
Bring a form of ID and insurance card (Note: insurance is not required)
For more information: email healthycook@cookcountyhhs.org

World AIDS Day Observed

On December 1, 2025, Cook County Health observed World AIDS Day, a time to pause and reflect on the ongoing fight against HIV and AIDS. World AIDS Day provides a time to remember those we have lost, celebrate those who are still here, and recommit to a future where people living with HIV or AIDS can thrive.

This year, that commitment feels especially urgent. Across the country and globally, public health programs are being gutted. PrEP access is not universal, and misinformation continues to drive people towards fear instead of care. However, Cook County Health and our Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center are committed to providing care and resources.

For World AIDS Day, we brought a panel of experts from our CORE Center, the Cook County Department of Public Health, and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. You can see the program by visiting Let's Talk: HIV/AIDS Care and learn about what systems are in place to battle HIV.

While there is no current cure for HIV, we are all working together to end the epidemic. As HIV is no longer a death sentence, but a manageable chronic disease, Cook County Health will keep providing resources to those in need of care or those who want to take advantage of prevention through PrEP.

Listen to T-Boz from TLC as she encourages people to get “prep-ped” in the remake of her hit song “Creep” to So We Prep. As we are all together in this fight, let’s fight, remember, and never forget.

In 1998, the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center was established as a partnership between the Cook County Health and Rush University Medical Center as a clinic that focuses on the prevention, care, and research of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. The CORE Center has remained one of the largest HIV/AIDS clinics in the U.S. and treats more than 6,000 patients annually.

The mission of the CORE Center has always been to provide the highest quality care for persons and families affected by infectious diseases, with respect, dignity and compassion, without regard to the ability to pay. Such a mission reverberates through the work of our staff as they seek to make life better their patients.

The CORE center provides primary and specialty care for its patients. Through its Cook County HIV Integrated Program (CCHIP), we deliver a comprehensive, multidisciplinary continuum of HIV services, ranging from community-based prevention and testing to long-term clinical management and viral suppression, across multiple clinical and community sites throughout Chicago and suburban Cook County.

CCHIP is dedicated to reducing HIV incidences, improving health outcomes for people living with HIV (PLWH), and eliminating disparities in access to prevention and treatment. The program achieves this through coordinated clinical care, targeted outreach, equitable access to prevention tools, and intensive data-driven quality improvement. Our approach aligns with national, state, and local strategies, including the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative, HRSA's Ryan White Program standards, and CDPH's Getting to Zero goals.

In compliment to its HIV/AIDS clinical care, the CORE Center has a dental suite for clinic patients and provides access to the Bridge Clinic, which helps patients struggling with addiction, substance use disorder, and mental health. For patient appointments, please visit our website or call the Patient Support Center at 312-864-0200.

Gregory Norels, Assistant Program Manager

Gregory Norels has been working in HIV prevention, care, and research for more than 20 years. He is currently the Assistant Program Manager for HIV Services at Provident Hospital under the Cook County HIV/Aids Integrated Program (CCHIP) initiative where he manages the Infectious Disease clinic, which includes working on testing programs at the hospital and within the community. Gregory also spent over 12 years of work at the CORE Center, where he managed early intervention and outreach services, emergency room testing/linkage, and other initiatives during that time.

Born, raised, and still proudly rooted in Chicago’s South Side, Gregory stays closely connected to the neighborhoods that shaped him. Some of his favorite restaurants are in Hyde Park.

At Provident, Gregory is energized by the incredible work happening across HIV services in Cook County, from expanding PrEP access to strengthening partnerships with community organizations, and deepening relationships across organizations and churches in the South Side. Gregory is passionate about meeting people where they are, creating welcoming pathways into care, and making sure everyone feels supported and connected. For Gregory, the work is personal, meaningful, and grounded in community, and he brings that same energy to every room he walks into. Send him an email and he will make sure that Cook County Health partners with you. He is also extremely proud of Cook County Health’s participation in the annual Pride Parade, ensuring that we are present and let our residents know that we are a resource for them. See you in June 2026 for this celebration!

AIDS Foundation of Chicago

Founded in 1985, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago advocates for HIV/AIDS prevention as well as serves as a general resource for the HIV/AIDS community. The AIDS Foundation has been a long-term partner of Cook County Health and the Ruth Rothstein CORE Center, working to get access to treatment for all patients, decreasing the stigma around treatment, and promoting the awareness and acceptance of those who live with HIV and/or AIDS.

Their work with the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Illinois Department of Public Health on the Getting to Zero Illinois campaign has been influential in creating a plan designed to reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS while providing a continuum of needed health services. The plan exponentially increases the health and public workforce to meet the constant challenges of those who are affected by HIV/AIDS.

In addition, the AIDS Foundation has been collaborating with Cook County Health on our Flexible Housing Pool program, which provides a pool of funds to support rent and supportive services for program clients.

This year, our Cook County Health team, comprised of staff from the CORE Center and nurses from the health system, were happy to participate in the AIDS Foundation’s annual AIDS Run & Walk. The event raises funds to benefit programs and services for those living with HIV and other chronic conditions. Our team members were happy to support this endeavor.

1961 • Cook County Department of Public Health Focus on Poison Prevention

The Department of Public Health focused its energies and educational programs on the rise in accidental poisonings. More than 1,000 cases – almost 90% involving children under the age of five – were reported to the Department by 14 area hospitals.

Community Events

In January, teams from Cook County Health, the Cook County Department of Public Health, CountyCare and the Cook County HIV Integrated Programs (CCHIP) may be present and participate in health fairs, resource fairs, presentations, tabling events or general community events listed below.

January 15 – Village of Orland Park, Village of Tinley Park, Orland Township and Office of Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison’s 3rd Annual Southwest Job Fair – Tinley Park Convention Center,18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park, IL 60477.
January 20 – Aetna Better Health’s New Year, New You – New Moms, 5317 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60651.

Advisory Councils

Since 2017, as an important development of our Strategic Planning Process, Cook County Health started Community Advisory Councils, which are made up of patients and community and religious organizations. Community Advisory Councils play an essential role in helping CCH understand the health needs of the communities we serve and share information about CCH’s health services and how individuals can access care, regardless of their ability to pay.

Currently, CCH has nice existing councils – Arlington Heights, Belmont Cragin, Blue Island, Cottage Grove, Dr. Jorge Prieto, Englewood, North Riverside, Provident Hospital/Sengstacke & Bronzeville, and the Robbins Health Centers. The councils meet virtually every quarter.

In 2026, we will be launching the advisory council at the Austin Health Center. You can submit an application for this council or any other through our website at Community Relations – Cook County Health.

Redetermination Events

Cook County Health and CountyCare are currently hosting a series of Redetermination events in the System’s facilities, other FQHCs and community partners. For more information, please visit CountyCare’s Medicaid Redetermination Information page.

January 5 – North Riverside Health Center – 1800 S. Harlem Avenue Suite A, North Riverside, IL 60546.
January 6 – Cottage Grove Health Center – 1645 S. Cottage Grove Avenue, Ford Heights, IL 60411.
January 7 – Provident Hospital – 500 E. 51st Street, Chicago, IL 60615.
January 8 – Friend Health – 5635 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago IL 60629.
January 9 – St. Bernard Hospital – 6307 S Stewart Street, Chicago, IL 60621.
January 12 – Jorge Prieto Health Center – 2424 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago, IL 60623.
January 13 – Robbins Health Center – 13450 S. Kedzie Avenue, Robbins, IL 60472.
January 14 – Primecare Health Center – 5635 W. Belmont Avenue, Chicago, IL 60634.
January 15 – Alivio Health – 2021 S. Morgan Street, Chicago, IL 60608.
January 16 – Englewood Health Center – 1135 W. 69th Street, Chicago, IL 60621.
January 20 – Esperanza Health Center – 4700 S. California Avenue, Chicago, IL 60632
January 21 – Provident Hospital – 500 E. 51st Street, Chicago, IL 60615.
January 22 – Friend Health – 5635 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago IL 60629.
January 23 – Chicago Family Health Center – 9119 S. Exchange Avenue, Chicago, IL 60617.
January 26 – Blue Island Health Center – 12757 S. Western Avenue, Blue Island, IL 60406.
January 27 – Stroger Hospital – 1969 W. Ogden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60612.
January 28 – Primecare Health Center – 5635 W. Belmont Avenue, Chicago, IL 60634.
January 29 – Care for Friends – 530 W. Fullerton Parkway, Chicago IL 60614.
January 30 – Arlington Heights Health Center – 3520 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60004.