Cook County

Finally, some good news in the public health field!  STD testing is back at Cook County Jail, and voluntary HIV testing will soon be offered to all detainees on intake.  From the press release:

"Bridget Gainer, Cook County Board Commissioner, Sheriff Tom Dart and AIDS Foundation of Chicago gathered today to officially launch the HIV/STD testing at the Cook County Jail. Using the newly designed medical intake facilities, all detainees who come through the jail will be offered testing for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Nearly 100,000 people each year are processed

The Cook County Board President (now Todd Stroger) has the final say over Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center--the lynchpin of HIV care in Chicago and Cook County. Shouldn't you know what the candidates for the position have to say about healthcare before you vote for them on Feb. 2?

Here's your chance!

Should the Cook County Health & Hospital System close two hospitals, Provident and Oak Forest, and convert them into outpatient clinics?  Should they close neighborhood clinics in favor of regional hubs?  

The Cook County Board Health & Hospital System Board is making those and other recommendations in its three-year strategic plan released October 14.

The Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center is the mainstay of HIV care for low-income people in Cook County.  CORE is part of the newly hatched Cook County Health & Hospitals System.  CCHHS has been engaging in a strategic planning process - and now it's YOUR TURN to comment.  

From Health & Medicine Policy & Research Group:

Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS) is the parent organization for the CORE Center, the largest provider of HIV medical care in Cook County, and the lynchpin of the HIV care system in Illinois.  CCHHS is doing a series of town hall meetings to get feedback from County residents about the County healthcare system.