Keynote speaker Dr. Jerri Nielsen inspires nearly 1,200 attendees at the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council’s 51st annual event

Seventy-nine hospitals throughout the metropolitan Chicago area honored nearly 1,200 health care workers during the 51st Annual Luncheon of the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC) held Friday, May 20, at the Chicago Hilton and Towers. Dr. Jerri Nielsen, an emergency medical services physician and breast cancer survivor, gave the keynote address.

This year’s event, Community of Caring: A Salute to Health Care Shining Stars, paid tribute to the outstanding contributions of all health care workers. The honorees, who were invited by their hospital or health care organizations, included nurses, allied health professionals, support staff, financial services personnel, administrators, physicians and volunteers.

"Every worker in a health care organization is critical to the health care team and to the valuable care that is delivered to the community," MCHC President and Chief Executive Officer Earl Bird told the attendees. "The care that you provide to your local communities goes well beyond treating diseases and curing illnesses. Health care workers provide so many different, yet vitally important, services to patients and the communities where they work."

NBC5 weekend anchor and reporter Darren Kramer welcomes nearly 1,200 attendees to the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council's 51st Annual Luncheon May 20. The event, Community of Caring: A Salute to Health Care Shining Stars, honored outstanding health care workers at MCHC's member hospitals and health care organizations. (Photo by Bob Kusel)

Keynote speaker Dr. Jerri Nielsen entertains and inspires the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council Annual Luncheon audience with her stories from serving as the only doctor at the South Pole in 1999. Nearly 1,200 health care professionals from more than 80 Chicago-area hospitals and health care organizations attended the 51st annual event. (Photo by Bob Kusel)

From left, MCHC President and CEO Earl Bird; Northwestern Memorial Hospital CEO and Chairman of the MCHC Board of Directors Dean Harrison; NBC5 weekend anchor/reporter and Annual Luncheon emcee Darren Kramer; emergency medical services physician and Annual Luncheon keynote speaker Dr. Jerri Nielsen; Rush North Shore Medical Center President/CEO and Chairman-Elect of the MCHC Board of Directors James T. Frankenbach; MCHC Executive Vice President Kevin Scanlan; and Northwestern Memorial Hospital Manager of Pastoral Services and Education and Annual Luncheon invocator Peter Strening. (Photo by Bob Kusel)

Nearly 1,200 health care professionals from more than 80 Chicago-area hospitals and health care organizations attended the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council's 51st Annual Luncheon. This year's theme, Community of Caring: A Salute to Health Care Shining Stars, honored all health care professionals for their outstanding dedication and service to the health care community. (Photo by Bob Kusel)

Dr. Jerri Nielsen, a breast cancer survivor and emergency medical services physician, recalls her experience diagnosing and treating her breast cancer with the help of colleagues while stationed at the South Pole in 1999. Due to severe weather conditions, Nielsen was not able to leave the South Pole for treatment for eight months. (Photo by Bob Kusel)

Dr. Jerri Nielsen, the keynote speaker for the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council's 51st Annual Luncheon, greets honorees from St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates. Nearly 1,200 health care professionals from more than 80 Chicago-area hospitals and health care organizations attended the May 20 event at the Chicago Hilton and Towers. (Photo by Bob Kusel)

Keynote speaker Dr. Jerri Nielsen greets attendees at the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council's 51st Annual Luncheon. Nielsen, an emergency medical services physician and breast cancer survivor, spoke about the importance of teamwork in all organizations. (Photo by Bob Kusel)

Nielsen recounted her experience battling breast cancer while stationed at the South Pole for eight months in 1999. As the only doctor among 40 scientists and engineers, Nielsen cared for the medical and dental needs of her colleagues while adapting to the dangerous cold and lack of amenities. But when she discovered she had breast cancer, she had to rely on her colleagues to both help her and care for the needs of others. Unable to leave due to weather conditions, Nielsen taught her colleagues to assist her with performing a biopsy on herself and to administer her chemotherapy treatments. The experiences taught her important lessons about the value of teamwork, especially in the health care field. Darren Kramer, weekend anchor and reporter for NBC5 Chicago, served as emcee. A luncheon for all attendees preceded Nielsen’s address.

The 2005 Annual Luncheon event allowed MCHC to recognize the critical role hospitals play in the physical and economic well-being of their communities. MCHC’s 2004 study, The Value of Caring: The Economic Impact of Chicago’s Hospitals on the Metropolitan Chicago Area, showed that hospitals in the metropolitan Chicago area collectively represent the third-largest source of regional private-sector employment and forecasted that hospitals will create 3,164 new jobs annually for the region through the year 2020.

Although hospitals play a critical role in protecting the physical and economic health of their communities, hospitals also rely on their surrounding communities for continued support. Proactive public policy and hospital investment is necessary to preserve the quality of life throughout the metropolitan Chicago region.

MCHC is a membership and service organization working with its more than 140 member institutions since 1935 to improve the delivery of health care services in the metropolitan Chicago area. The Value of Caring study is available on the MCHC Web site, www.mchc.org.

Mary Sheehan, RN, MSN, MBA, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer at Palliative CareCenter & Hospice of the North Shore from Senior Vice President of Clinical Services. As a member of PCCHNS’ management team for more than 10 years, Sheehan has been responsible for operational oversight and leadership of the organization’s clinical programs, including Hospice and the Inpatient Hospice Unit, HomeCare, Palliative CareCenter for Kids, the Medical Home Visits program and the Palliative Care Consultation program.

Sheehan received her MBA in 2001 from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and her BS and MA in Nursing from Loyola University of Chicago in 1984 and 1992 respectively.

Representatives of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), Village of River Forest and Granite Reality Partners, Inc. recently presided over a groundbreaking ceremony at the future site of a RIC Outpatient Center at 420 Thatcher Avenue.

The nearly 9,000 square foot facility is planned to open at the end of the year.

The Outpatient Center will provide general rehabilitation and specialize in musculskeletal services and women’s health rehabilitation services under the leadership of Joel Press, M.D.