Ex-hospital chief back as consultant
COOK COUNTY | $6K a month for Simon to advise new panel
Last month, Dr. Robert Simon retired from his top job of running the troubled Cook County hospital system.
But just as quickly, he became a taxpayer-funded consultant to the new "independent" county hospital board.
Simon, a longtime family friend of County Board President Todd Stroger, is being paid more than $6,000 a month for that consulting work, county officials disclosed Thursday, even interviewing potential board members and helping Stroger select them.
Stroger defended the contract, citing Simon's decades of experience with the health system. He said Simon has been "adding some of his expertise" to the transition process that will ultimately see control of the hospital system shifting from the County Board to a nine-member "independent" panel.
A spokesman later said that Simon's consulting contract, which runs until December, also includes Simon being "on call" for the Stroger Hospital emergency room as needed.
The disclosure came as Stroger publicly introduced his nine nominees to that hospital board -- a group that will be vetted by the County Board next week.
Stroger was peppered with questions about a majority of the board having ties to Democratic Party officials and labor unions, but he stood by his choices -- F. Daniel Cantrell, David Carvalho, Jorge Ramirez, Heather O'Donnell, Norman Bobins, Andrea Zopp, Barbara Hillman, Benn Greenspan and Quin Golden. They could take over the long-troubled system later this year.
Those nine were selected from a group of 20 delivered to Stroger last month. Laurence Msall, of the Civic Federation, sat in on that process but said he is "very concerned" about the nine Stroger selected, questioning their "independence and health care and financial experience."
