Stroger names finalists to oversee hospitals

When that Cook County Board worked overtime to pass a budget with increased taxes for some of the commissioners this was one of the issues that could have made or broken the deal. It looks like it's moving forward. Sun-Times:

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is set to hand control of the county's struggling health system to a panel of nine health care and industry executives he says "reflects the cultural, gender and racial diversity" of the county.

And Stroger's choices are largely drawing praise.

Daniel Cantrell, staffer to U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.); David Carvalho, of the Illinois Public Health Department; Jorge Ramirez, of the Chicago Federation of Labor, and Heather O'Donnell, of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, are on the list. Also named are Norman Bobins, chairman emeritus of LaSalle Bank; Andrea Zopp, of Exelon Corp.; Barbara Hillman, an attorney; Quin Golden, formerly of the Illinois Public Health Department, and Benn Greenspan of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Those nine will now be forwarded to the full County Board, which must approve the appointments. If confirmed, they would take control of policy and spending decisions for a system that has struggled under the weight of politics for decades.

Surely there is concern about this hospital where the allegations are that it's a dumping ground for political hiring. It's unfortunate too since I think that ideally most Cook County citizens want this hospital under the best possible management. In addition to its function as a hospital for the uninsured although the uninsured I believe should have limited options when it comes to healthcare. Even if all they might need is a regular check-up.