Meet the Members of the Cook County Wellness Council

Cook County’s new Wellness Council convened for the first time to begin an on-going discussion on ways to build a culture of health and fitness for thousands of county employees, President Preckwinkle announced today. The Wellness Council reflects a cross section of the community and is comprised of individuals dedicated to employee wellness, including representatives from labor unions, the Cook County Health and Hospital System, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the President’s Office. The focus of Wednesday’s meeting was to go over key data regarding existing health issues in the employee and dependent population and review findings from over 1500 participants who attended health fairs held earlier this year. Based on the information sharing, the group will define key areas of focus in order to tackle the wellness challenges affecting county employees, identify ways to promote employee engagement, increase employee participation, and drive results. President Preckwinkle announced the county’s first worksite wellness program in April, with the goal of empowering employees to live healthier lifestyles and become wiser health care consumers. The comprehensive wellness program is accessible to all employees at no additional cost and at no cost to taxpayers. A variety of comprehensive, long-term and preventive health activities are currently in place, including health education, screening programs, walking challenges, and social support The Council is scheduled to meet monthly and as data regarding Cook County employees’ collective health rolls in and is analyzed, programming and communications will be developed to tackle those specific issues and meet ongoing needs Wellness Council members include: Dr. Ram Raju, Chief Executive Officer, Cook County Health and Hospitals System Dr. Terry Mason, Chief Operating Officer, Cook County Health and Hospitals System J. Todd Phillips, Vice President - Illinois Local Markets & Sales Strategy at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois Dr. Sandra Burke, Chicago Metro Board of Directors, American Heart Association Jeanette Flom, Executive Director, American Diabetes Association, Chicago Matt Maloney, Director of Health Policy Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago Christine Boardman, SEIU President Don Finn, IBEW, Business Representative Maureen O'Donnell, Bureau Chief, Human Resources, Cook County Tariq Malhance, Chief Financial Officer, Cook County Lisa Walik, Risk Management, Cook County Jessey Neves, Director of Public Affairs and Communications, Cook County