Dear Cook County Health friends and partners,

This fall, I am making a personal appeal to our partners and stakeholders. Please join us in urging all Cook County residents to get up-to-date on their vaccinations, particularly for COVID and infleunza.

Our health system is already seeing an uptick of serious upper respiratory infections and indicators are pointing to a severe flu season along with a potential COVID surge.

After three long years of the pandemic, people are tired. I understand. But we cannot give in to complacency.

We have the tools we need to lessen the illness and death caused by the flu and COVID. A simple vaccination goes a long way to prevent or reduce the severity of infection. Getting vaccinated is the single most important step to protect children and adults alike this winter.

The new bivalent COVID vaccines are highly effective against the COVID strains circulating right now. Everyone age 5 and older should get a bivalent booster 2 months after their last shot. Make an appointment today at vaccine.cookcountyil.gov.

As community leaders and employers, I am asking for your help in leading by example. Distribute information on vaccines or host a vaccine clinic. Encourage mask wearing indoors when distancing is not possible, especially through the winter. Provide a virtual option to any in person community event. Let your staff know that they should not come to work if they are feeling unwell and offer whatever remote work flexibility you may be able to. Let’s use the successful mitigation skills we have honed over the past several years. These simple steps could save a life.



Thank you for all you do each and every day to keep our communities safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

Provident Hospital Resumes Accepting Ambulance Runs

Provident Hospital began accepting ambulance runs on October 19, 2022, after an 11-year pause.

“This is an exciting milestone and one that comes after a significant amount of investment and focus on this treasured and historic community hospital,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said in a press conference.

Over the past several years, Cook County Health has invested more than $8 million to modernize the Provident campus, including upgrading the Emergency Department, expanding med/surg capacity, reopening the Intensive Care Unit, installing a new MRI and opening an outpatient dialysis center.

“It is an honor and privilege to be rejoining the EMS network and caring for patients in their greatest time of need,” said Israel Rocha, Jr., CEO, Cook County Health. “Provident Hospital is a true community asset, a trusted provider, and a place where our patients and staff feel like family.”



The Provident Hospital Emergency Department currently sees approximately 19,000 visits each year. The addition of ambulance runs is expected to increase this volume by a few thousand annually, with a commensurate increase in inpatient admissions.

Dr. Gregory Huhn, interim chair of infectious diseases, spoke about the concerns of flu and COVID heading into the winter months.

With a slow uptick in residents getting their updated COVID-19 boosters, Cook County Health doctors gathered on October 25 to encourage people to get their boosters and their flu shots to help stave off a potential winter surge of respiratory viruses that could overwhelm hospitals.

COVID-19 bivalent (updated) boosters are available to everyone age 5 and older who completed their original vaccine series and are two months since their most recent shot. Flu shots are encouraged for everyone 6 months and up.

People can make their COVID booster appointment at a Cook County Health site by visiting vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or by calling 833-308-1988 Monday through Friday, 7am-6pm.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Health Chief Executive Officer Israel Rocha, and Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) Chief Operating Officer Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck announced at a press conference on October 26 that CCDPH will be awarding over $14 million in grant funding across four years to expand mental health and substance use prevention, treatment and support in suburban Cook County.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to the well-being of all Cook County residents,” said President Preckwinkle. “This investment in behavioral health as part of our Building Health Communities Initiative ensures that we’re taking a holistic approach to healthcare that prioritizes mental health, as well as physical health.”

Grants will range from $250,000 to over $1 million each, and are part of the Building Healthy Communities Behavioral Health Initiative, funded under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

“The vision of achieving health equity for all residents of Cook County drives our work. This grant program will allow us to support organizations in effecting positive change and implementing behavioral health strategies at the community level in areas where they are needed most,” Israel Rocha, CEO, Cook County Health.

Data shows that behavioral health needs have increased globally and in the U.S. The global presence of depression and anxiety increased by more than 25% in the first year of the pandemic. Nearly 50% of Americans reported recent symptoms of an anxiety or depressive disorder, and 10% felt their mental health needs were not being met.

“We know the pandemic has exacerbated mental health and substance use challenges for Cook County residents and families,” said Dr. Hasbrouck. “But while anyone’s mental health can be affected, some people are more likely to be affected than others.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, people who are more likely to experience mental illnesses or disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, include: children, mothers and pregnant people; black, indigenous, and people of color; people with financial or housing insecurity; people with disabilities; and people with pre-existing mental illnesses or substance use problems.

“We are excited to work with our communities to meet the needs of our residents and families and chart a healthier path forward,” said CCDPH Behavioral Health Unit Director Jennifer Brothers. “We are calling on all organizations who are eligible, to apply. Whether you are a small community-based organization housed in the basement of a local church, a local middle school that is committed to raising future generations, or a community health center that has been working in the community for decades: We want to work in partnership with you.”

The Building Healthy Communities Behavioral Health Initiative will be built on a foundation of equity and inclusivity. To that end, CCDPH streamlined the grant application process to encourage all interested organizations and agencies to apply. For those not familiar with receiving grants: optional, capacity building workshops are being offered to familiarize applicants with legal requirements and grant application skills, such as program design, monitoring and reporting.

Applications are now being accepted thru Dec. 7, 2022, and awards will be announced in January 2023. For more information and to apply online, visit our website at: BHCopencall.com.

HIRING: Cook County Health Holding Nursing Job Fair

Cook County Health is hiring nurses across multiple departments at Stroger and Provident Hospitals. A job fair will be held on Monday, November 7 from 9 am to 3 pm at the Cook County Health Professional Building, 1950 W. Polk Street, Fifth floor.

Onsite interviews and same-day contingent offers will be made while vacancies remain.

Interested individuals must submit an online application to be considered and bring a resume and applicable certifications. Visit cookcountyhealth.org/join-our-team to apply.

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Cook County Health held two Facebook Live community forums to answer common questions about breast cancer, mammograms and treatment.

The sessions were held in English and in Spanish.

According to the American Cancer Society, Black women are 41 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, while Hispanic women have a higher incidence of breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women. Early detection is key, and doctors urged women to know their bodies and to get screened based on a recommended schedule from their doctor.

Please share the links with your partners and teams. 

Earlier this month, the U.S. Navy and Cook County Health announced an expansion of their partnership to train Naval medical providers and support clinical care at John H. Stroger Jr., Hospital.



“I’m excited to build upon the great partnership Navy Medicine has formed with Cook County,” said Rear Admiral Bruce Gillingham, US Navy Surgeon General. “The experiences our military doctors, nurses, and corpsmen receive here not only helps out the local Chicago community, it ensures we have an expertly-trained Naval medical force that can take care of our deployed Sailors and Marines. The stakes are high: On a Sailor’s or Marine’s worst day, we must be at our best.”

The Navy and Cook County Health first began their partnership in 2013 when Naval surgeons from Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago began coming to Stroger Hospital to train in trauma care. The first Navy corpsman trauma training program began at Stroger Hospital in 2014. In the years since, Navy officer and enlisted medical professionals have continued to do rotations through the hospital’s trauma unit. Later this year, full medical teams will train at Stroger for 10 month prior to deployment.

“The epidemic of gun violence has made our trauma team experts in their field,” said Israel Rocha, Cook County Health CEO. “It is a sad reality that the injuries we see in our trauma center are reflective of the injuries seen in combat, making it a prime training location for members of the military. This only underscores the need for us to collectively to address gun violence as a national public health crisis.”

The trauma unit at Stroger Hospital has more than 4,000 activations annually. Approximately 25 percent of those cases include penetrating trauma, most commonly gun or knife injuries.

“In decades past, many advancements in trauma care were made by the armed forces in wartime and then shared with civilian providers,” said Dr. Faran Bokhari, Chair of Trauma and Burn Services at Cook County Health. “In recent years, as US conflicts have decreased, civilian providers responding to gun violence and other injuries have become a resource for branches of the armed forces. By embedding Navy providers in our hospital, they can keep their skills sharp for deployment and we can benefit from their expertise and support.”

Click here to read more.

Cook County Health recognized Hispanic Heritage Month with a Facebook Live discussion titled, “Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: A Conversation on Culture, Equity and Health.”

Cook County Health CEO Israel Rocha was joined by Shannon Andrews, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer; Iliana Mora, Chief Administrative Officer for Ambulatory Services; Dr. Pilar Guerrero, Emergency Room physician; and Rene Muñoz, Vaccine Site Coordinator.

To watch the discussion, click here.  

Earlier this month, the Cook County Health Foundation held its annual Gala at the Chicago Hyatt.

The Cook County Health Foundation helps support health system initiatives. This year’s Gala grossed nearly $500,000 and will fund 30 scholarships for students seeking medical careers in allied health fields.

Thank you to everyone who attended and supported the cause. If you want to learn more about the Foundation, visit cchealthfoundation.org.

Pictured: Cook County Health Foundation Chairman Joe Flanagan speaks to gala attendees.

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is taking steps to prepare for the end of the Federal Covid-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). When the PHE ends, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will end its continuous coverage provision.

This provision has allowed HFS to keep Medicaid customers insured without confirming all eligibility requirements. As a result of this continuous eligibility, Medicaid customers have not been asked to update their information for two years. That new information is now critical for their continued coverage. 

As the PHE ends, the Department's goals are to protect coverage for as many people as possible, reduce churn, reduce inequities, fulfill all legal requirements, and meet federally mandated timeframes.

To help as many people as possible keep their Medicaid coverage, HFS needs updated addresses to send people their renewal forms. We need to do everything we can to make sure they receive their forms and return them, and we request your help to accomplish this.

People who use Medicaid can update their addresses two ways: calling the HFS hotline (877-805-5312), or through an HFS web form (www2.illinois.gov/hfs/address).

Please share this essential information with your clients, community members and stakeholders.

Cook County Health is proud to be providing health care to asylum seekers coming to Chicago. To date, we have served more than 2,600 men, women and children who have left their home countries in search of essential human rights, like safety, food, education and economic opportunities.

We are grateful for the Cook County Health Foundation’s work to collect donations for asylum seekers. Many are in need of basic necessities, like clothes, particularly as cold weather approaches. The Cook County Health Foundation has created an Amazon Wish List where people can purchase items that will be provided directly to individuals and families receiving care from CCH. 

To visit the Amazon wish list, click the link. Select Nancy Rivera under “ship to.” Donations will go to the men, women and children who receive care at CCH. You may also make a direct monetary donation to the Cook County Health Foundation to support the purchase of items for asylum seekers.

The Cook County Health cardiology team was recognized with several “Get With the Guidelines” awards from the American Heart Association. CCH earned gold awards for heart failure treatment and STEMI care, and a silver award for non-STEMI care. Congratulations!

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NBC 5 Chicago: How Long is RSV Contagious? What to Know Before Sending Your Child Back to School

Daily Herald: Which suburban hospitals are sticking with masks to keep COVID-19 at bay

HealthLeaders Magazine: The Way Forward: Q&A with Cook County Health CEO

Hyde Park Herald: Provident to begin accepting ambulances again tomorrow