RESOLUTION CELEBRATING THE RETIREMENT OF BERNEICE MILLS-THOMAS
WHEREAS, Berneice Mills-Thomas, Executive Director of Near North Health Service Corporation for more than 30 years, is retiring; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of this occasion by the Honorable Emma Mitts, Alderman of the 37th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Near North Health is a network of federally-qualified health centers that provide access to quality health care to improve the health and well-being ofthe diverse populations and communities it serves; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Mills-Thomas has established Near North as a premier healthcare leader throughout the City and surrounding suburbs; under her leadership, Near North has undergone tremendous expansion from one primary care site to nine,, and the becoming one of Chicago's largest providers of community-based primary health care, with more than 45,000 patients originating from 130 different zip codes; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Mills-Thomas is a registered nurse and holds MSM, MPH and MBA degrees, and, prior to her tenure at Near North, Ms. Mills-Thomas held clinical and managerial positions at two community hospitals and several community health centers; and
WHEREAS, As a result of Ms. Mills-Thomas' commitment to providing quality healthcare, Near North has been awarded the notable distinction of accreditation by The Joint Commission for 18 years and designated as a patient-centered medical home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance since the program's inception in 2013; her unparalleled dedication to addressing health disparities led to spearheading groundbreaking initiatives in diabetes care, HIV/AIDS services, and men's health; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Mill-Thomas' relentless prioritization of patients spurred the recent upgrade of Near North's electronic medical record system that gives providers immediate access to patient records, greater capability of making well-informed treatment decisions, and increased patient information privacy; and
WHEREAS, An influential and active leader in the community, Ms. Mills-Thomas is an active member ofthe Economic Club of Chicago and serves on the boards ofthe Alliance of Chicago Community Health Services, the National Association of Community Health Centers, the Southside Health Collaborative, the My Care Chicago Network, the Illinois Primary Health Care Association, and C Quest America Inc.; she has served on the boards of the Illinois Public Health Association, the Salvation Army, the Illinois Maternal & Child Health Coalition, the Chicago Department of Public Health West Town Facility, and United Way/Crusade of Mercy, Inc., and on the External Advisory Committee of the Northwestern University Community Engagement Research Center; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Mills-Thomas' extensive portfolio of work in healthcare and community advocacy has won her numerous local and national accolades; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVTED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this twenty-first day of September, 2022, do hereby congratulate Berneice Mills-Thomas on her retirement, and wish her well on her future endeavors