A recent report showed that Chicagoans’ life expectancy has dropped by nearly two years, with Black and brown members of the community experiencing the most severe decreases. The decline was not solely driven by COVID-19, but by diseases that disproportionately impact communities of color, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Our mission at The Change Institute of Cook County Health is to harness the urgency and momentum of the pandemic and apply it to those diseases.
As I said in a Latino Voices interview with WTTW, “The Change Institute’s most important mission is to say that nobody is determined to have a bad outcome. It doesn’t matter your race, your ethnicity, what you look like or where you live. Those should not be the factors to determine whether you live or die.”
The goal is to have the entire community involved in this mission to mitigate social risk factors and deliver equitable medical care to the entire community. That is why we especially appreciate your continued interest in and commitment to this pursuit. The Change Institute is the start of a movement so we all can live our healthiest life.
Watch the entire interview and learn more about our mission, here.
Sincerely,
Israel Rocha Jr., CEO
Cook County Health
The Lastest
Cook County Health Administers 1 millionth Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine
Cook County Health administered its 1 millionth dose of COVID-19 vaccine this week, making it among the first health systems in the country to achieve this level of success in vaccinating its communities. Visit MyShotCookCounty.com to find a Cook County Health vaccination location.
President Preckwinkle Announces $12 Million Investment to Launch Building Healthy Communities Initiative
President Preckwinkle announced new investments to launch the Building Healthy Communities (BHC) initiative in partnership with Cook County Health (CCH) and the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH). Building Healthy Communities aims to support COVID-19 resiliency and recovery, especially for Cook County communities hardest hit by COVID-19.
Cook County Health Awarded Gold and Silver Quality Achievement from the American Heart Association for Severe Heart Attack and Heart Failure Care
Cook County Health received two major awards from the American Heart Association – the Mission: Lifeline® STEMI Receiving Center Gold Award and the Get With The Guidelines® Heart Failure Silver Award with Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. Both awards signify the health system’s efficient and effective high quality of care for both heart attack and heart failure patients.
The Joint Commission Recognizes John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital’s Stroke Program
John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital has been awarded Advanced Certification as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission, in recognition of its long-time success in improving outcomes for stroke patients. The award is based on Stroger Hospital having met the high standards for stroke care determined by The Joint Commission in conjunction with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.
