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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING DR. MARINA DEL RIOS FOR HER LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE TO COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, Doctor Marina Del Rios is an emergency physician with over six-teen years of experience working in tertiary care hospitals serving marginalized communities in Chicago and New York City while conducting research in resuscitation science, population health, and health disparities; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Del Rios received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 2002 and her master’s degree from Cornell University in 2007; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Del Rios served as an emergency medicine physician with the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Del Rios was the Director of Social Emergency Medicine and Tenured Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the College of Medicine of the University of Illinois at Chicago; and
WHEREAS, her research has received competitive funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, Medtronic Philanthropy, and the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Del Rios is a physician in the frontlines working as a nocturnist in the emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic, first in the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago and now in the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Del Rios has a deep commitment to service, spending her time outside of her clinical, research, and teaching responsibilities as a volunteer for multiple health and community service agencies; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Del Rios is a founding member of the Illinois Heart Rescue Project, a state-wide quality improvement project with the mission to ensure that every victim of out of hospital cardiac arrest receives evidence-based care in the field, in route to, and in the hospital; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Del Rios has served with the Illinois Department of Public Health COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, the Restore Illinois Health Justice Workgroup, and the City of Chicago Racial Equity Rapid Response Team; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Del Rios also serves as Chair of the Health and Policy Committee of Illinois Unidos, a cross-sectoral partnership of elected and appointed officials, health professionals, and leaders of community-based organizations that aims to stop the transmission of COVID-19 and address the pandemic’s devastating public health and economic impact in Latinx communities; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Del Rios has been dedicated to building trust within hard-hit communities by providing critical information about the pandemic and encouraging individuals to get vaccinated; and
WHEREAS, her advocacy on behalf of the Latinx community during the COVID-19 pandemic led to her recognition as one of Negocios Now 2020 Who's Who in Chicago Hispanic Power, as one of Chicago Crain’s Business 2020 Notable Health Care Heroes, and as the 2021 Spirit of Hope by Association House; and
WHEREAS, her medical career has been focused on serving those in need, and identifying and addressing health disparities found in low-income, minority, and immigrant populations; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby honor Dr. Del Rios for her dedicated service and leadership to the residents of Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution is presented to Dr. Del Rios.
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