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HONORING THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF DR. JOHN JAY SHANNON, M.D.
WHEREAS, the Cook County Board President and the members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners are pleased to honor Dr. John Jay Shannon, M.D., who served as Chief Executive Officer of the Cook County Health and Hospitals System from 2014 to 2019, for his hard work and dedication toward furthering Cook County’s 180-year public health mission of delivering integrated health services with dignity and respect regardless of a patient’s ability to pay; and
WHEREAS, under Dr. Shannon’s leadership, Cook County Health is continuing a transformative journey, developing innovative and integrative approaches to the fulfillment of Cook County Health’s mission by aligning its role as a provider of care, both in traditional and correctional settings, a public health authority and a health plan; and. The journey has included significant investments in outpatient services to shift the system from its historic role as a provider of sick care to a provider of choice; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Shannon’s journey at Cook County Health has included a significant policy shift and investment in outpatient services to shift Cook County Health from its historic role as a provider of sick care to a provider of health care.; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Shannon spent most of his professional career at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, formerly Cook County Hospital. He first joined the medical staff in 1990 and served in several roles, including Director of the Adult Asthma Clinic, where he led several quality improvement collaborations aimed at improving the delivery of care for asthma patients within the health system and across the County. He also served as an Associate Chair of the Department of Medicine and Chief of the Divisions of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Stroger; and
WHEREAS, prior to Cook County Health, Dr. Shannon served as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas from 2007-2012. While there, he served for two years as a trustee of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Hospital Council.
WHEREAS, Dr. Shannon is a graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep, earned his bachelor’s degree from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama and returned to Cook County to earn a medical degree from Rush Medical College; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Shannon and his wife Robin are the parents of three adult children and the grandparents of two young boys.
WHEREAS, under the leadership of Dr. Shannon, Cook County Health has improved and added patient services and access to care, built the largest Medicaid managed care plan in Cook County despite competing with national brands and made significant and long-overdue upgrades and modernization of the facilities - all while significantly reducing Cook County Health’s reliance on local taxpayer support.
WHEREAS, under the leadership of Dr. Shannon, Cook County Health has invested substantially in quality and safety improvement initiatives, advocacy initiatives and fiscal stewardship that has led to:
• The Joint Commission accreditation for Stroger, Provident and their associated ambulatory services, Primary Care Medical Home certification for our Community Health Systems.
• The creation of a national model for correctional health that has led to better outcomes for our patients and the dissolution of a ten-year consent decree at the Cook County Jail.
• The establishment of an ophthalmology center and new digital mammography, radiology and nuclear medicine technology at Provident Hospital.
• Integration of behavioral health into primary care and Naloxone distribution at the Cook County Jail as part of an overarching strategy of medication assisted treatment for individuals with opioid use disorders.
• Investment of millions in long-overdue capital equipment replacement.
• Advocacy at every level of government to protect the Affordable Care Act and expanded access to populations historically left behind.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Cook County Board President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners that Dr. John J. Shannon is recognized for the positive impact he has made at the Cook County Health and Hospitals System, positioning the Cook County Health to continue its core mission for years to come, and we wish him the best on his future endeavors; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be presented to Dr. John J. Shannon as a symbol of our respect and his dedication to Cook County Health.
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