RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A PUBLIC HEARING TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF A PROPOSED MERGER OF FOUR HISTORIC SOUTH SIDE MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS
WHEREAS, in the beginning days of the 21st Century, four historic safety-net hospitals who have served this city's South Side communities since the mid 1800's and the dawn of the 20lh Century have signed a tentative agreement creating an innovative, bold, and equally historic preliminary agreement; and
WHEREAS, this memorandum of understanding agrees to unite their collective resources, and over the next ten years, replace their aging infrastructures by constructing of a state-of-the-art healthcare system that will serve many future generations of South Siders; and
WHEREAS, these hospitals will work together under a new name and new leadership to provide an optimum level of health care to South Side residents by opening three to six community health care centers where nearby residents can see a doctor, access advanced diagnostics, and receive preventative care as well as obtain social services thereby identifying, preventing, and treating disease earlier to improve overall health and wellness; and
WHEREAS, infant mortality rate on the South Side is roughly 80 percent higher than the city's average overall and nearly double the average for the State of Illinois. South Side residents are nearly 150 percent more likely to die of tobacco-related complications than people living in the Loop, Near North Side or Lincoln Park. Additionally, living south of the Loop doubles your risk of death due to stroke or heart disease; and
WHEREAS, according to United States census data and research provided by New York University, the City of Chicago has a more than 30-year life expectancy gap, which is the largest life expectancy gap in the country. One of the most highly correlated factors impacting health outcome is income and some South Side neighborhoods have a median household income 60 percent below the state average; and,
WHEREAS, a person's zi...
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