Originally published on chicago.suntimes.com 1/15/2020 | Photo: John H. White / Sun-Times

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is seeking more control and oversight over Stroger Hospital and the rest of the county health system, including appointing a member to the system’s governing board and giving the County Board power over the top health official’s salary and job description.

In a letter to county commissioners dated Tuesday, Preckwinkle called for “enhanced collaboration” with the independent board that now runs the Cook County Health System, proposing amendments to the underlying ordinance that would allow Preckwinkle to directly appoint a member to the governing board, make the next CEO of the system subject to the “advice and consent of the County Board” and require the system to submit a balanced preliminary budget to commissioners.

The sweeping proposed changes, first reported by WBEZ, come less than two months after the former CEO, Dr. John Jay Shannon, was pushed aside amid Preckwinkle’s ongoing concerns over the system’s financial footing.

In this week’s letter, Preckwinkle proposed making some operations of the health system subject to approval by the Board of Commissioners or to at least include the board in more of the health system’s decisions.

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Originally published on chicago.suntimes.com 1/15/2020 \| Photo: John H. White / Sun-Times Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is seeking more control and oversight over Stroger Hospital and the rest of the county health system, including appointing a member to the system’s governing board and giving the County Board power over the top health official’s salary and job description. In a letter to county commissioners dated Tuesday, Preckwinkle called for “enhanced collaboration” with the independent board that now runs the Cook County Health System, proposing amendments to the underlying ordinance that would allow Preckwinkle to directly appoint a member to the governing board, make the next CEO of the system subject to the “advice and consent of the County Board” and require the system to submit a balanced preliminary budget to commissioners. The sweeping proposed changes, first reported by WBEZ, come less than two months after the former CEO, Dr. John Jay Shannon, was pushed aside amid Preckwinkle’s ongoing concerns over the system’s financial footing. In this week’s letter, Preckwinkle proposed making some operations of the health system subject to approval by the Board of Commissioners or to at least include the board in more of the health system’s decisions. Learn More




Originally published on chicagobusiness.com 1/8/2020 Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has found a new budget director. Her pick, Annette Guzman, is a transplant from Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s office, where she was chief administrative officer. Her appointment will have to be approved by the Cook County board. “Annette is a skilled and experienced lawyer with a demonstrated history of improving operational management, facilitating process improvements, offering exceptional leadership and providing a keen ability to manage multiple projects,” county Chief Financial Officer Ammar Rizki wrote to commissioners in his announcement. “Annette was a key player in our office’s successful transition,” Kaegi spokesman Scott Smith said. “Her hard work, organizational skills, and attention to detail will be missed, but we’re very glad she’s staying with the county and are looking forward to working with her again during budget season.” Read More




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