Cook County board endorses moving to convene a state panel to study a Level 2 trauma center for the Southland

The Cook County Board on Nov. 20 formally referred item 246451 to the Health & Hospitals Committee to seek a state-level panel to plan a Level 2 trauma center serving the Southland.

Supporters during the public-comment period said the region lacks timely access to high-level trauma care. "A trauma center in the Southland would serve a large proportion currently underserved by such facilities," said Dr. Audrey Tanksley, president of the Cook County Physicians Association, who told commissioners a 2015 feasibility study labeled the Southland a "trauma desert." She urged the county to include infrastructure, EMS investment and violence-prevention in any plan.

Delphine Cherry, a Hazel Crest resident who lost two children to gun violence, said her son waited in a South Suburban Hospital emergency room for more than 20 minutes and "bled out," and urged the board to press for closer trauma services. "Had my son been taken to a trauma center, I do believe he would still be alive today," she said.

Board members who presented and voted on referrals described the step as an initial, county-level request that would ask the state to convene experts and stakeholders. Chair Daley listed item 246451 among items to be referred to Health & Hospitals; the board approved a range of committee recommendations by voice vote.

The testimonials and briefing materials cited disparities in firearm mortality and homicide rates concentrated on the west and south sides of Cook County. Dr. Tanksley asked the board to consider a planning process that pairs a facility with EMS, community-centered care and prevention programs.

What happens next: the referral sends the item to the Health & Hospitals Committee for follow-up and for staff to coordinate with state officials, medical partners and community stakeholders on the scope and membership of the proposed panel.