The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) announced that it has selected Cerner Corp. as its partner for clinical information systems. Through the agreement Cerner will bring its Cerner Millennium® solutions to each of the Institute’s 14 Chicago-area locations within the next year.

"Implementing Cerner Millennium solutions will make RIC one of the most technologically advanced rehabilitation hospitals in the country," said Wayne M. Lerner, DPH, president and chief executive officer of RIC. "Cerner’s solutions will allow us to have a single electronic medical record for each patient throughout our system of care. This will mean an even higher quality of care, patient safety, communication, connectivity and continuity of care. The potential benefits for our patients and caregivers are immense."

Cerner and RIC’s unique partnership will set the standard for how rehabilitation care will be delivered in the future. Cerner will work closely with RIC to integrate rehabilitation clinical content into Cerner Millennium solutions, providing a new venue to share knowledge-based, rigorous rehabilitation standards with the marketplace. The partnership will also enable Cerner to provide future rehabilitation clients with leading clinical content.

RIC and Cerner share a vision of setting the standard in patient care and circulating knowledge and expertise throughout the world. Together, RIC and Cerner are dedicated to excellence in providing comprehensive rehabilitation services for people with disabilities through the use of healthcare IT.

The Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC) recently announced its endorsement for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's All Kids plan and applauds the Governor's ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of children in Illinois. The All Kids program ensures that every child in Illinois has access to affordable and comprehensive health care, according to the Governor's office.

As the association representing more than 140 hospitals and health care organizations, the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council has historically advocated for universal health coverage in Illinois.

"Access to care is commonly defined as the ability to receive the right care at the right time," said Dr. Lawrence U. Haspel, senior vice president of MCHC. "For the more than 250,000 uninsured children living in Illinois, All Kids will help make access to care a reality and serves as a significant step in moving Illinois toward universal health care. "We look forward to working with the Governor and the Illinois General Assembly to fully implement All Kids."

Howard Brown Health Center recently announced that Michael C. Cook has become its President and CEO. Cook is currently the Executive Director of Interfaith House.

Cook is a long time advocate for LGBT and human rights, elected to such positions as President of the ACLU of Illinois, Chairman of the Board of Chicago House, and member of the Board of Directors of the Point Foundation. He currently serves on the National Board of Directors of the ACLU and is a member of the Governing Board of the Chicago Continuum of Care. He has received numerous awards for his work, including Howard Brown’s Friend for Life Award, Chicago House’s Founder’s Award, Bailiwick Theater’s Trailblazer Award and the ACLU’s John Hammell Award for support of the LGBT and AIDS Projects.

Prior to joining Interfaith House, Cook practiced law for more than 20 years, most recently as a partner in the law firm of Ross & Hardies. His other positions included partnerships in the law firms of McCullough, Campbell & Lane, and Peterson & Ross, and as Law Clerk to U.S. Circuit Court Judge Herbert Choy.