PRESS RELEASE: Garrido Releases far Reaching Health Care Reforms with his “Independence and IT Initiative” for Cook County

SCHILLER PARK – John Garrido announced the most detailed reform plan of any candidate for Cook County Board President today, calling it his Independence and IT Initiative. He explained the importance of creating a health care network with the ability to self-manage and properly serve the comprehensive needs of Cook County’s residents.

“My initiative is based upon two principles. The first principle is building an independent network of hospital, clinics, and service
centers that can efficiently operate for Cook County residents,” Garrido said.

He said this portion of his initiative includes removing the sunset on the Cook County Health and Hospitals System Board, decentralizing primary care to more localized facilities, and limiting all non-life threatening services to Cook County residents. “Basically, we need a health network that operates for the people of Cook County, instead of
the politically connected.”

Garrido continued by explaining that his initiative also includes building an information network that rivals the effectiveness of the
Veteran Health Administration’s VistA system. The VHA treats about 5.5 million patients per year, and has successfully used the program to increase quality and decrease cost. For example, the VHA has used VistA to reduce hospitalizations for pneumonia, saving taxpayers $40 million, and has a prescription accuracy rate of 99.997%.

“If the VHA can manage a network of over 1,400 care centers with increasing patient loads, all the while improving efficiency and
reducing costs to the taxpayers, then we can manage to do it in Cook County. More than that, the VistA program is open-source software, meaning the taxpayers of Cook County will have a cheap, infinitely capable information technology system if implemented.”

Garrido also expressed the difference between his platform and that of his opponent’s as a telling sign of who is both eager and ready to lead Cook County. “We’ve heard vague plans with little to no definition. In a county health system that is under the control of politicians doling out patronage, and one that can barely even manage to bill correctly, how is this effective?

“They are not comprehensive, and vague plans for reform are why we’ve lost as much as $200 million in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. My plan is a fresh start for Cook County’s health care network.”

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For more information about John Garrido or his campaign to bring a fresh start to Cook County, please contact Robert Lee by cellular
phone at (815) 347-0294, by email at media@garrido2010.com, or by visiting http://www.garrido2010.com.