Stroger picked well for health board

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger named well-qualified, independent nominees to the Bureau of Health Services' interim board of directors.

There is no need for Stroger to "start over" with the nomination process.

The nine nominees are a balanced group, including experts in employee relations, finance, health care management, legal and regulatory affairs, and general public administration.

The knowledge each individual would bring to the Interim Board of Directors would be invaluable to the restoration of the county's health care system.

With the selection of these nine nominees to oversee the Bureau of Health Services, we strongly believe real expertise will be put in place - giving people the care they deserve.

We invested a great deal of time and energy in working with President Stroger and the commissioners to establish an independent board to oversee the county's health care system.

If we thought President Stroger had undermined the governance structure and neglected his responsibility to nominate independent, knowledgeable candidates, we would be the first group to rise up in protest.

We urge the Cook County Board of Commissioners to accept President Stroger's nominees, so that Cook County will have the historic opportunity to make the Bureau of Health Services, one of the finest health care system's in America, even stronger.

Quentin Young

Chairman

Health and Medicine Policy Research Group

Chicago