West Cook News

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle recently selected five nominees to the Cook County Health and Hospitals System’s (CCHHS) governing board to fill two vacancies and three expired terms, from a list compiled by a nominating committee.

Sidney Thomas, Mary Driscoll, Mary Richardson-Lowry, Dr. Virginia Bishop and Layla Suleiman Gonzalez were expected to be confirmed at a subsequent meeting following their nomination to CCHHS by a 14-member task force composed of civic, medical/healthcare-related and labor stakeholder organizations, per county ordinance.

“I am grateful to members of the nominating committee for their hard work in finding excellent candidates to lead the Health and Hospitals System at this important time,”  Preckwinkle said. “The due diligence they have shown in selecting potential CCHHS directors is admirable, and their dedication to this task is clear from the quality of candidates they have presented.”

Directors, who serve without compensation, report to the president and County Board of Commissioners, who oversee CCHHS management and collaborate with CCHHS on strategic and financial planning. The five new directors bring a diversity of backgrounds in health care, academia and civic life.

As one of the nation’s largest public health care systems, CCHHS delivers health care regardless of a patient's ability to pay, serving approximately 300,000 patients annually.