Jorge Ramirez, Secretary-Treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Labor, will join some of the region's leading voices in health care policy and management on an independent governance board for the Cook County health system.  Ramirez was nominated by President Todd Stroger and confirmed by commissioners on Tuesday. 

The Board of Health Directors was created earlier this year to improve the quality and sustainability of the health system.

Cook County runs one of the nation’s largest public health care systems.  The county’s three hospitals and 16 clinics treat one fifth of the country’s cancer patients, one third of the county’s AIDS patients and thousands of residents each year who lack access to affordable health care.