Full Text of HR0352 97th General Assembly
HR0352 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The Cook County Board created the Cook County | 3 | | Health & Hospitals System (CCHHS) Board of Directors in 2008, | 4 | | and the ordinance creating that board originally provided that | 5 | | the ordinance would be repealed in 2011; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The Cook County Board voted June 1, 2010 to | 7 | | eliminate the sunset clause in the ordinance that established | 8 | | the independent Cook County Health & Hospitals System Board of | 9 | | Directors, so that it is now a permanent oversight authority; | 10 | | and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The CCHHS oversees healthcare operations and | 12 | | policy implementation for the health system of Cook County, | 13 | | establishes priorities for the health care delivery system, and | 14 | | is intended to operate so as to improve the efficiency and | 15 | | delivery of health care to the residents of Cook County; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, The CCHHS Board of Directors issued the Vision | 17 | | 2015 Strategic Direction (July 2010) that includes a plan to | 18 | | discontinue inpatient, emergency, and rehabilitation services | 19 | | at the south suburban Oak Forest Hospital; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Many patients, caregivers, and community members | 21 | | have voiced opposition to the plan to discontinue Oak Forest |
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| 1 | | Hospital; opponents claim that these cuts in service severely | 2 | | reduce the accessibility and affordability of health care for | 3 | | many uninsured Chicagoland residents, that this plan would send | 4 | | patients to other health facilities in the County that do not | 5 | | have the capacity to serve these additional patients, and that | 6 | | the plan poses a significant burden to many area residents who | 7 | | would have longer travel time and scheduling problems in their | 8 | | use of more distant and crowded facilities; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The CCHHS Board of Directors has already taken | 10 | | steps that will jeopardize the ability of Oak Forest Hospital | 11 | | to provide essential health services in the community without | 12 | | adequate preparation and assurance that area residents will be | 13 | | able to obtain accessible and affordable care; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Health Facilities and Services | 15 | | Review Board has recommended denial of the application to | 16 | | discontinue the current operation of Oak Forest Hospital, | 17 | | finding that (1) the proposed closure of Oak Forest Hospital | 18 | | will increase the number of intensive care and long-term care | 19 | | beds needed in the planning area; (2) while the hospitals in | 20 | | the planning area have stated they will accommodate the | 21 | | inpatient workload of Oak Forest Hospital, there has been no | 22 | | indication by hospitals in the planning area assuming the | 23 | | outpatient workload of Oak Forest Hospital and concerns still | 24 | | remain of a capacity crunch in the area upon the closure of Oak |
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| 1 | | Forest Hospital; (3) while the County has provided a 5-year | 2 | | strategic plan for Oak Forest Hospital and has stated that an | 3 | | immediate care facility will replace the emergency department | 4 | | effective June 1, 2011 and outpatient specialty services will | 5 | | be provided on the campus, funding is only assured for the | 6 | | first year, FY 2011; (4) information and data to document the | 7 | | need to discontinue the facility has been provided by the | 8 | | County, however the proposed discontinuation will increase the | 9 | | number of ICU and long-term care beds in the planning areas and | 10 | | it is also unclear as to how the residents of the planning area | 11 | | will have access to care should the Regional Outpatient Center | 12 | | not be funded by the County; and (5) given the large number of | 13 | | safety net patients Oak Forest Hospital provides service for, | 14 | | it does appear that the proposed discontinuation will have an | 15 | | adverse impact on the access to care in the service area; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, The recommendation of the CCHHS Board of Directors | 17 | | contravenes the critical health interests of the residents of | 18 | | the Chicagoland Area, and this means there is substantial | 19 | | reason to believe that it has not shown sufficient expertise | 20 | | and concern in carrying out its mission, especially in | 21 | | preserving essential health services in underserved areas of | 22 | | the City of Chicago; therefore, be it
| 23 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 24 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
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| 1 | | we recommend that the Cook County Board restore the repeal date | 2 | | of the county ordinance that created the CCHHS Board of | 3 | | Directors; and be it further
| 4 | | RESOLVED, That the Cook County Board secure funding for the | 5 | | continued operation of Oak Forest Hospital to the capacity that | 6 | | shall provide the essential health services for the community | 7 | | that depends on it for affordable, accessible medical care; and | 8 | | be it further
| 9 | | RESOLVED, That the Attorney General review the status of | 10 | | Oak Forest hospital in terms of compliance with the Illinois | 11 | | Health Facilities Planning Act given the denial of the | 12 | | application to discontinue Oak Forest Hospital by the Illinois | 13 | | Health Facilities and Services Review Board; and be it further | 14 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 15 | | provided to the President and each member of the Cook County | 16 | | Board.
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