Our Position on the Cook County Budget Crisis

· SEIU supports increased taxes to support the restoration of clinic and service cuts at the Cook County Bureau of Health Services and to prevent any additional cuts in critical public services to the citizens of Cook County.

· SEIU demands the restoration of year 2007 clinic and service cuts. All cuts made in the previous year’s budget need to have immediate restoration.

· SEIU calls for an agreement in principle that an independent health service governance structure must be established. Many recommendations have been made as to future restructuring of CCBHS governance, creating a meaningful balance of private and public control. We call for all appropriate parties to continue dialogue regarding what a future governance structure would entail.

· SEIU commits to our established role in leading the effort to realize a new Illinois State Provider tax model that would generate new revenue for all health care institutions that provide critical care to the uninsured and the indigent. We believe such a tax would generate $100 million dollars a year in additional revenue for Cook County Health services alone. Any such provider tax which provides relief to the Cook County Bureau of Health Services must be solely dedicated to those health services budgets. The County Board or the President cannot be allowed to dissipate those funds into other budgets within the County. Not only would this legislative effort benefit significantly the CCBHS through direct revenue increases, but it would also help to stabilize the community-based hospital safety net. By doing so, the disproportionate burden of uninsured and indigent care seen by the CCBHS would be eased.

· Cook County management must look to cutting non-essential management personnel and services, in particular those that have been added since the passage of the 2007 budget. Front line personnel should not be further reduced to increase the numbers of exempt and management personnel that have been added to the rolls.