In the first of four public hearings on the Cook County Health and Hospitals System’s 2010 budget, the tension that dominated recent budget discussions in county board chambers was nowhere to be found.

In fact, it was hard to detect a pulse at Provident Hospital last night, despite the fact that health system board members control the county's second largest budget - nearly $1 billion in taxpayer dollars.

However, health system leaders told those at the sparsely attended event that the system's increased patient volume and negotiations with government leaders has led to increased revenue this year, and a projected...more

The Cook County Health and Hospitals System is holding a public meeting to address the concerns of Spanish-speaking residents tonight at 6 p.m. at the West Side Technical Institute, 2800 S. Western.

The meeting is part of a series of town hall forums health system leaders have hosted in an attempt to get feedback on what Cook County residents want from their hospitals.

The health system’s board of directors is devising a strategic plan, which will take into account concerns from residents.

More information is available on the health system’s new Web site, www.cookcountyhealth.net.

Three Chicago health institutions are making the city one of the country’s leading centers of HIV and AIDS research, thanks to a five-year, $3.75 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The Developmental Center for AIDS Research, an institution that will integrate basic science, clinical studies and research in prevention, detection and treatment of HIV and AIDS, will be led by Rush University Medical Center. Also on board are the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Cook County Health and Hospitals System.

“With this grant, we have an unparalleled opportunity to make Chicago an epicenter for AIDS research,”...more

As Pastor Walter Coleman launched into a tale from scripture – the one about the 10 virgins, five of whom didn’t have enough lamp oil and thus missed out on meeting an eligible groom – he came to a blunt conclusion: “That’s scripture’s way of saying we have to be prepared.”

And preparedness was the message du jour last week at Humboldt Park Vocational Center, 1645 N. California, where church leaders, nurses, teachers and Alderman Roberto Maldonado (D-26) and State Rep. Cynthia Soto (D-Chicago) gathered to talk about how community members can prepare themselves – and their neighbors –...more

Swine flu, the first pandemic of the YouTube age, was blogged, tweeted, interactively graphed and Facebooked unlike any other ailment.

Now it's getting the YouTube treatment.

The Department of Health and Human Services is asking you to vote on your favorite swine flu public service announcement on YouTube.

The top 10 are ready to be voted upon. The polls close Sept. 16.