Press Conference Calling for the Resignation of Cook County Bureau of Health Director--Nurses Support Immigrant Rights Groups - Wednesday March 28th, 9:30 am
The National Nurses Organizing Committee-California Nurses Association (NNOC-CNA), representing the 1,800 nurses working in the Cook County Bureau of Health Services, will announce their support at a Wednesday press conference of the March 10th Movement, a coalition of immigrant rights groups that is calling for the resignation of Dr. Robert Simon, Interim Director of the Cook County Bureau of Health.
WHAT: Press Conference Calling for the Resignation of Cook County Bureau of Health Director
WHEN: Wednesday March 28th, 9:30 am
WHERE: 5th Floor, Cook County Building, 118 N. Clark Street, Chicago.
The March 10th Movement is demanding that Dr. Simon be replaced by a chief who will restore and save vital health services and is willing and able to support and uphold County’s mission to provide “health services with dignity and respect regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.”
Dr. Simon is the architect and executor of the cuts to vital health services central to President Stroger’s budget. These cuts include the proposed elimination of 150 nursing home beds at Oak Forest Hospital. 220 long term patients at Oak forest were told Friday that County plans to evict them by September 1st.
Commenting on the closure of long term beds, Dr. Simon said the county should fly the 20 to 30 long term profoundly disabled patients who are undocumented immigrants back to the countries they came from. His statements have further increased the distress of patients at Oak Forest, many of whom have resided at the facility for years and consider this their only home.
Dr. Simon’s latest comments confirm his lack of concern for the needs of County’s patients and his lack of commitment to County’s healthcare mission. Cook County provides vital health services to the immigrant community, many of whom have no other source of healthcare.
NNOC/CNA is the nation’s largest union of direct-care RNs, with some 70,000 members in all 50 states. Learn more at www.NNOC.net. | 
