Full Text of SR0589 103rd General Assembly
SR0589 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | SR0589 | | LRB103 35108 LAW 65065 r |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened | 3 | | to learn of the death of Ruth A. (Cohen) Colby, who was born on | 4 | | on February 8, 1954 and passed away on October 15, 2023; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Ruth Colby served as the president and CEO of | 6 | | Silver Cross Hospital since October 1, 2017, previously | 7 | | serving as senior vice president and chief strategy officer | 8 | | for 12 years; under her leadership, the hospital earned | 9 | | national recognition in safety, quality, and experience, and | 10 | | it opened Will County's first and only Level 3 neonatal | 11 | | intensive care unit (NICU) in 2022, introduced an open-heart | 12 | | surgery program in 2019, and championed the Midwest Institute | 13 | | for Robotic Surgery at Silver Cross in 2012; she also forged | 14 | | partnerships with several leading Chicago health systems, | 15 | | including the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab for inpatient and | 16 | | outpatient rehabilitation services, University of Chicago | 17 | | Medicine for cancer services and neurosciences, the Rush | 18 | | University Medical Center for lung surgery, the Ann and Robert | 19 | | H. Lurie Children's Hospital for pediatric and neonatal | 20 | | services, and US HealthVest to build the 110-bed Silver Oaks | 21 | | Behavioral Hospital on the Silver Cross Campus, which opened | 22 | | in early 2019; and | 23 | | WHEREAS, Throughout her tenure, Ruth Colby worked closely |
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| 1 | | with the board of directors of Silver Cross Hospital to set the | 2 | | organization's vision and strategic direction; her exceptional | 3 | | business acumen and visionary leadership led to | 4 | | transformational growth for Silver Cross Hospital over the | 5 | | years, expanding from a 289-bed hospital when the hospital | 6 | | opened its New Lenox campus in 2012 to 348 beds today, with | 7 | | medical staff members increasing from 350 to more than 1,200; | 8 | | she also expanded the hospital's footprint through successful | 9 | | ventures in surgery, imaging services, and medical group | 10 | | expansions, with the hospital now having more than a dozen | 11 | | locations throughout its service area in Will County; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, Ruth Colby's passion for achieving health equity | 13 | | and helping the less advantaged in the hospital's service | 14 | | area, particularly on the east side of Joliet, led to the | 15 | | creation of the Silver Cross Healthy Community Commission | 16 | | (HCC) in 2008; under her guidance, this community-based | 17 | | organization has been focused on creating a stronger, | 18 | | healthier future by providing support for education, workforce | 19 | | development training, and enrichment activities for youth to | 20 | | improve the quality of life for the communities served, and it | 21 | | has awarded over $3 million in educational scholarships, | 22 | | workforce development, and grants to numerous east-side Joliet | 23 | | residents and organizations since its founding; and | 24 | | WHEREAS, Ruth Colby was also very active in healthcare |
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| 1 | | associations and organizations; she served as chair-elect of | 2 | | the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) and was | 3 | | slated to become chair in 2024; recently, she had also been | 4 | | appointed to the American Hospital Association's Regional | 5 | | Planning Board for Region 5; she was also a past president of | 6 | | the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, an | 7 | | American Hospital Association group; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Ruth Colby was a passionate advocate for the | 9 | | community, generously giving her time and talents to numerous | 10 | | community boards, including as chair of the Will County Center | 11 | | for Economic Development, on the board of the Will County | 12 | | Children's Advocacy Center, and as a member of the United Way | 13 | | of Will County Pillars Society, the Joliet Rotary Club, and | 14 | | the Economic Club of Chicago; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Ruth Colby was the recipient of numerous | 16 | | accolades, including receiving a national award for Individual | 17 | | Personal Achievement from the Society for Healthcare Strategy | 18 | | and Market Development in 2009, being named a Notable Woman in | 19 | | Healthcare and a Notable Woman Executive over age 50 by | 20 | | Crain's Chicago Business in 2019, receiving the Athena Award | 21 | | from the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry in | 22 | | 2021, and being named the New Lenox Citizen of the Year by the | 23 | | New Lenox Chamber of Commerce and a Notable Healthcare | 24 | | Executive by Crain's Chicago Business, both in 2023; at the |
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| 1 | | time of her passing, she was to receive the Distinguished | 2 | | Citizen Award from the Rainbow Council of the Boy Scouts; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, Ruth Colby was the wife of Donald M. DeFrank; the | 4 | | mother of David (Becky Riffkin) Chodak; the sister of Judy | 5 | | (Steven) Dolins; the sister-in-law of Sue DeFrank and Joan | 6 | | Beeler; and the aunt of Maddie Dolins, First Lieutenant Dr. | 7 | | Michael (Meredith) Beeler of the USN, and Gabi Kastel; | 8 | | therefore, be it | 9 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL | 10 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | 11 | | Ruth A. (Cohen) Colby and extend our sincere condolences to | 12 | | her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it | 13 | | further | 14 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 15 | | presented to the family of Ruth Colby as an expression of our | 16 | | deepest sympathy. |
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