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Cook County Board of Commissioners Health & Hospitals Committee met May 13

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Board of Commissioners of Cook County Minutes of the Health & Hospitals Committee 

Present: Lowry, Anaya, Aguilar, Daley, Degnen, Miller, Moore, Morita, K. Morrison, S. Morrison, Scott, Stamps, Trevor and Vásquez (14) 

Absent: Britton, Gainer and McCaskill (3) 

Remote Participation 

A motion was made by Vice Chairwoman Anaya, seconded by Commissioner Daley, to allow for remote participation in meeting. The motion carried by the following vote: 

Ayes: Lowry, Anaya, Aguilar, Daley, Degnen, Miller, Moore, Morita, K. Morrison, S.  Morrison, Scott, Stamps, Trevor and Vásquez (14) 

Absent: Britton, Gainer and McCaskill (3) 

Chairman Lowry asked the Secretary to the Board to call upon the registered public speakers, in accordance with Cook County Code. 

PUBLIC TESTIMONY 

1) George Blakemore - Concerned Citizen

Health & Hospitals Committee Committee Minutes May 13, 2025 

25-2799 

COMMITTEE MINUTES 

Approval of the minutes from the meeting of 4/8/2025 

A motion was made by Vice Chairwoman Anaya, seconded by Commissioner Daley, to approve 25-2799. The motion carried by the following vote: 

Ayes: Lowry, Anaya, Aguilar, Daley, Degnen, Miller, Moore, Morita, K. Morrison, S. Morrison, Scott, Stamps, Trevor and Vásquez (14) 

Absent: Britton, Gainer and McCaskill (3)

23-3815 

Sponsored by: DONNA MILLER, DENNIS DEER, JOHN P. DALEY and ALMA E. ANAYA, Cook County Board Of Commissioners 

PROPOSED RESOLUTION 

REQUESTING A MEETING OF THE COOK COUNTY HEALTH AND HOSPITALS COMMITTEE TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE FROM COOK COUNTY HEALTH AND THE COOK COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH ON THEIR COVID-19 AND OTHER DISEASES OF CONCERN IMMUNIZATION and MITIGATION PLANS IN SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY 

WHEREAS, on January 27, 2020, the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services declared that COVID-19, a respiratory illness spread by close contact through respiratory droplets, presents a  public health emergency, and the World Health Organization characterized the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic on March 11, 2020; and 

WHEREAS, despite advances in treatment protocols and the availability of vaccines, COVID-19 continues to be a serious disease across the U.S. and Cook County, and; 

WHEREAS, as of November 30, 2022, there have been 655,646 confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Suburban Cook County under the jurisdiction of the Cook County Department of Public Health with 7,309 reported  deaths; and 

WHEREAS, on August 31, 2022, the FDA amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to authorize bivalent formulations of the vaccines (in individuals in individuals 18 years of age and older for Moderna and 12 years of age and older for Pfizer-BioNTech) for use as a single booster dose at least two months following primary OR at least  

two months following monovalent booster vaccination; and 

WHEREAS, the FDA has also revised the EUA of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to remove the use of the monovalent Moderna and Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for booster administration for individuals 18 years of age and older and 12 years of age and older, respectively; however, they continue to be authorized for use for administration of a primary series for individuals 6 months of age and; and 

WHEREAS, the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is currently approved for individuals 12 and up; and 

WHEREAS, the ever-changing nature of this virus has necessitated routine updates for the benefit of Commissioners and the public to stay abreast of the latest mitigation and vaccine protocols, proving essential to combatting the pandemic and to building back better; and 

WHEREAS, the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) is the Illinois certified local health department for suburban Cook County, Illinois, with the exception of Evanston, Skokie, Oak Park, and Stickney Township, serving 127 municipalities; and

WHEREAS, the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) working alongside the Cook  County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security is charged with making the COVID 19 vaccines available to people in CCDPH’s jurisdiction of suburban Cook County; and 

WHEREAS, CCDPH is continuing to work with partners at all levels, including hospitals, health care providers and community leaders, to develop flexible and responsive COVID-19 vaccination programs that can accommodate different vaccines and increase uptake of boosters by informing the public and advertising about the vaccines importance with the Boost Up Cook County COVID and flu vaccination campaign, which is particularly important due to the possibility of a ‘Tripledemic’ of COVID, Flu and RSV this winter; and 

WHEREAS, equally important has been to ensure the vaccines are distributed in an equitable fashion, prioritizing those areas and residents of the county that have been most impacted by COVID-19 as a  result of longstanding disparities in healthcare system access and delivery; and 

WHEREAS, as of November 30, 2022, CCH and CCDPH have administered 1,625,108 million complete vaccine series to suburban residents or 71% of the total population; however, only 14.8% of the population is up to  date on recommended vaccines to include boosters. 

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Health and Hospitals Committee convene a meeting to discuss the Cook County Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 mitigation and vaccination  efforts for Suburban Cook County; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Department of Public Health and any other identified Cook County entity involved in Cook County’s COVID-19 response will provide quarterly COVID-19 updates to the Cook County Health and Hospitals Committee starting in September of 2023. This will include but not be limited to their COVID-19 vaccine plans, contract tracing and mitigation plans and any other pertinent information regarding COVID-19 or any other infectious diseases of concern for Suburban Cook County including analyses of the latest data on age, geographic, racial, and other pertinent category impacts. 

A motion was made by Vice Chairwoman Anaya, seconded by Commissioner Miller, to defer 23-3815. The motion carried by the following vote: 

Ayes: Lowry, Anaya, Aguilar, Daley, Degnen, Miller, Moore, Morita, K. Morrison, S. Morrison, Scott, Stamps, Trevor and Vásquez (14) 

Absent: Britton, Gainer and McCaskill (3)

23-0202 

Sponsored by: DENNIS DEER, FRANK J. AGUILAR, ALMA E. ANAYA, SCOTT R. BRITTON, JOHN P. DALEY, BRIDGET DEGNEN, BRANDON JOHNSON, BILL LOWRY, DONNA MILLER, STANLEY MOORE, JOSINA MORITA, KEVIN B. MORRISON, SEAN M. MORRISON, ANTHONY J. QUEZADA and MAGGIE TREVOR, Cook County Board Of Commissioners 

PROPOSED RESOLUTION 

RESOLUTION REQUESTING A HEARING OF THE HEALTH AND HOSPITALS COMMITTEE FOR A REPORT FROM THE SENIOR STAFF OF COOK COUNTY HEALTH & HOSPITAL SYSTEM 

WHEREAS, the Cook County Health and Hospital System (CCHHS) is the largest provider of healthcare services in Cook County; and 

WHEREAS, the County through CountyCare, a no-cost Illinois Medicaid managed care health plan, provides health insurance to thousands of Cook County residents; and 

WHEREAS, the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, in recommending and approving the annual appropriation bill, has invested in many programs to protect the health and well-being of  persons in Cook County; and 

WHEREAS, on June 1, 2010, the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted to make permanent the  independent Board of Directors overseeing the Cook County Health and Hospitals System; and 

WHEREAS, the Cook County Board of Commissioners retains oversight authority over the hospital  system through passage of the budget for CCHHS, as well as appointment authority over directors appointed to the Board of Directors. 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby request that a meeting of the Health and Hospitals Committee be convened to discuss the operations of  the Cook County Health and Hospital System. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the senior staff of the Cook County Health and Hospital System appear before the Committee and be prepared to update the Committee on the CCHHS’s services and operations. 

A motion was made by Vice Chairwoman Anaya, seconded by Commissioner Daley, to defer 23-0202. The motion carried by the following vote: 

Ayes: Lowry, Anaya, Aguilar, Daley, Degnen, Miller, Moore, Morita, K. Morrison, S. Morrison, Scott, Stamps, Trevor and Vásquez (14) 

Absent: Britton, Gainer and McCaskill (3)

ADJOURNMENT 

A motion was made by Vice Chairwoman Anaya, seconded by Commissioner Daley, to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried by the following vote: 

Ayes: Lowry, Anaya, Aguilar, Daley, Degnen, Miller, Moore, Morita, K. Morrison, S. Morrison, Scott, Stamps, Trevor and Vásquez (14) 

Absent: Britton, Gainer and McCaskill (3)

https://cook-county.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=M&ID=1303218&GUID=EE06DA3F-6566-4D7F-B3B4-0ECE66EA04A2