The Cook County Health and Hospitals System's board tomorrow will debate a resolution in support of making the system permanently independent of county government.
The 2008 ordinance establishing the independent board calls for the health system to revert back to Cook County Board oversight in 2011.
Making the health board permanent was a campaign point for candidates vying for the County Board presidency. Both Democrat Toni Preckwinkle and Republican Roger Keats support making it permanent; Green Party candidate Tom Tresser says he would like the board embrace more diversity and community input.
County commissioners and state legislators have proposed legislation to make the health board permanent, but County Board President Todd Stroger has resisted giving the board carte blanche, saying more oversight is needed.
While good government groups have backed the idea of a permanent independent health board, others are more wary of allowing the health system to run without oversight from the County Board.
At the health board’s last meeting, Commissioners Robert Steele and Edwin Reyes voiced concerns of the health system’s controversial group purchasing program, which leaders say will save an estimated $20 million. To date, those savings have yet to be proved, nearly nine months after the program went into effect, and local vendors complain their business with the county has dropped significantly.
And Commissioner William Beavers took health system CEO William Foley to task earlier this month, after learning the health system is hoping to prematurely end a financial performance improvement contract with MedAssets in favor of PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Foley said PriceWaterhouseCoopers will foot at least part of any penalties incurred for ending the contract early.