About The Department
Sandra Martell, RN, DNP, Interim Chief Operating Officer
As you navigate our site, you will find a broad range of health topics and information to help you and your family stay safe from health threats. Our department is committed to preventing disease, protecting health and promoting healthy communities – a vision that includes you.
CCDPH works with a variety of local, state and federal partners to ensure the safety of our diverse population that spreads over 735 square miles and includes 2.2 million , in addition to the tens of thousands of visitors who move in and out of Cook County via expressways, airports and public transportation on a daily basis.
I hope you find this site a useful resource for you and your family. We welcome your comments and questions and look forward to hearing from you.
Toni Preckwinkle, President Cook County Board of Commissioners
Cook County is the second most populated county in the country; it boasts an economy that would rank as the 21st largest of any nation in the world. Cook County government operates one of the largest public healthcare systems in the country.
The Cook County Department of Public Health, serving suburban Cook County, is one of seven operating units of the Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS). As a safety net for under-served and at-risk populations, CCDPH assesses the changing health needs of its diverse communities by working with community and faith-based organizations, schools, hospitals, private providers, and local, state and federal governments to plan for services and programs.
We are proud of the steps the Health and Hospitals System has taken to ensure the Cook County healthcare delivery system remains strong for many years to come.
Warren L. Batts, Chairman Cook County Health and Hospitals System
Under the direction of the Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS) Board of Directors, the CCHHS oversees healthcare operations and policy implementations for the health system of Cook County. It establishes priorities for the healthcare delivery system and assures that the CCHHS institutions operate within the frame work of these priorities.
In 2008 the eleven member CCHHS Governing Board was created to improve the efficiency and delivery of health care to the residents of Cook County
The Cook County Department of Public Health is one of seven operating units of the CCHHS. The others are: John H. Stroger, Jr., Hospital, Provident Hospital, Oak Forest Hospital, Cermak Health Services, the Rothstein CORE Center and the Ambulatory and Community Health Network (ACHN) clinics.
More than 500,000 patients receive care each year from the CCHHS. As always we remain committed to providing quality healthcare to the residents of Cook County.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners established the Cook County Department of Public Health* (CCDPH) on December 10, 1945. Decades later, CCDPH continues to improve the quality of life for suburban Cook County residents through the prevention of illness, early disease detection and the promotion of personal and community health. In 1945, the health department served a jurisdiction of 600,000 people on a budget of $162,000.00. Today, our budget nears $40,000,000.00 and over two million residents depend on CCDPH for disease control and prevention and health promotion activities. From 90 employees in the mid-forties, to over 300 today, CCDPH has expanded its traditional health services from limited public health nursing to many personal, integrated clinic health care services.
CCDPH is the state certified public health agency for suburban Cook County with the exception of Evanston, Skokie, Oak Park, and Stickney Township. These three municipalities and one township have separate, state certified public health departments and are operated by the local unit of government. CCDPH is the official agency of county government that strives to meet the public health needs of its citizens through effective and efficient disease prevention and health promotion programs.
*The Cook County Department of Public Health is one of seven operating units of the Cook County Health & Hospitals System. The System’s seven operating units include the Ambulatory and Community Health Network of Cook County, Cermak Health Services of Cook County, Cook County Department of Public Health, The Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Oak Forest Hospital of Cook County, and Provident Hospital of Cook County.