Hello? Hello. Awesome. Okay. All right, everyone.
Good morning, and thank you for joining us for this Committee on Health and Human
Relations. It is 10:47 on July 14th,
2026, and this meeting is now called to order.
On today's agenda, we will consider one direct introduction from the
mayor's office for the appointment of the Commissioner of the Chicago
Department of Public Health. Before we begin, I will call the
roll to establish quorum.
All right.
Alderman Robinson,
Alderman Yancy,
Alderwoman Gutierrez, Alderman Lopez,
Alderman Sigcho-Lopez,
Alderwoman Fuentes, Alderwoman Cruz,
Alderman Quesada,
Alderman Lawson,
Alderwoman Manah-Hoppenworth, Alderwoman Hadden,
Chair Rodriguez Sanchez,
and Vice Chair Julia Ramirez present.
Okay. We got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Oh, we got nine.
There are nine members present. We have quorum.
Any non-members? Okay. We have a request for remote
participation citing Rule 59 from Chairwoman
Rodriguez Sanchez, Alderperson Fuentes, Alderman
Robinson, and Alderwoman Gutierrez. Can I get a motion?
Alderperson Quesada so moves. All those in favor
for allowing remote participation of these alders respond by saying "I."
All those opposed by saying "Nay." In the opinion of the chair, the I's have it.
Okay, awesome. We will now begin the public comment
period. This period is limited to 30 minutes, and each speaker is limited
to three minutes. We have three in-person
public speakers,
and then I just announce them, right?
Mm-hmm.
Okay. So first, we invite Amber Kirchhoff.
Oh,
sorry.
Oh.
Oh, yeah. Let's get you to the mic.
Sorry.
Yes, great.
Can you hear me?
All right, very good.
Good morning, everyone. Thank you so much for the opportunity and for directing me
to the appropriate mic. My name is Amber Kirchhoff, and I'm a senior vice
president for public policy and advocacy at Thresholds.
On behalf of Thresholds, I'm thrilled to offer my wholehearted support for our
good friend and colleague, Dr. Garth Walker, for his appointment
as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Thresholds is one of Illinois's largest and longest serving providers of community
mental health and substance use treatment, as well as supported housing, and
we've had the privilege of working alongside Dr.
Walker through his service on our board of directors.
Over the past five years, we've come to know him as an exceptional leader, a
thoughtful professional, and an all-around good human who genuinely cares about
improving the lives of others. One of the things I appreciate most
about Dr. Walker is that he sees the whole picture.
He understands that health isn't just about medical care, it's also
about having stable housing, access to behavioral healthcare,
economic opportunity, safe communities, and the support that people need
to thrive. That's a perspective that we at Thresholds share, and it's
one that has guided his leadership. Dr.
Walker brings an impressive range of experience from caring for
patients one-on-one to leading large health initiatives and
helping guide Illinois's public health response during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But what stands out most is more than what's on his resume.
It's the way that he leads and the way that he shows up for others.
He listens first, asks good questions, welcomes different
perspectives, and never loses sight of the people behind the work.
At Thresholds, we've seen firsthand the impact
of his leadership on our board.
He has been a strong advocate for health equity and for making sure
communities that have historically faced barriers to care are not left
behind. He understands that behavioral health is essential to
overall health, and he values partnerships between healthcare
providers, community organizations, and government that make real
progress possible.
Chicago thrives with leaders who can bring together people to solve
complex challenges, and Dr. Walker is exactly that kind of leader.
He is thoughtful, collaborative, and deeply committed to public service.
I have every confidence that he will lead the Chicago Department of Public
Health with integrity, compassion, and a clear focus on improving the lives and
wellbeing of Chicagoans.
I've been fortunate to work alongside him and to see his leadership in
action. I know that the care and integrity
that he brings to what he does will translate well to
this role, and I have no doubt that he will bring those same qualities.
Chicago will be in fantastic hands with him as our Commissioner of Public Health.
Thank you for your consideration.
I'm proud to offer our strong support for Dr.
Garth Walker's appointment, and look forward to seeing the impact that he will have
in his leadership on health and wellbeing for our city.
These comments have also been submitted via email for the record.
Thank you so much. Our next speaker, Karen
Freeman-Wilson.
Good morning, Chair Sanchez
Rodriguez, and distinguished Alders.
My name is Karen Freeman-Wilson, and I am here
on behalf of the Chicago Urban League to
offer our support on behalf of
Dr. Garth Walker as the Health Commissioner.
We have the distinction of
having Dr. Walker as a member of
our board. And as a result of that
relationship, as well as him being an impact
alum from our leadership program, we know
that not only will he be a thoughtful
and collaborative health commissioner,
but he comes with an impeccable
background, but a great love
for people. When you think about the health
threats that face our community,
not only are there threats to our physical health,
like diseases
like the measles, and things that we don't even
imagine could be a health threat in
2026.
But you also think about public
health challenges like violence
and other aspects of public
health that are not traditionally seen as health
issues. The great thing about Dr.
Walker, and not just his training,
but his demonstrated experience, is that
he looks at the full gamut
of issues that threaten our
physical, mental, and public
health, and works collaboratively
with organizations like Thresholds, like the Urban League,
like government at all levels, and others,
to come up with solutions that don't
just meet certain neighborhoods or meet the
needs of certain neighborhoods, but meet the needs of all
neighborhoods. The last thing that I will say is
that there's a large team in the
Department of Public Health. Dr.
Walker is not only a thoughtful practitioner,
but he's a thoughtful manager who will work
to ensure that the individuals
who deliver the work have the best
environment to do that in with the most thoughtful
leader. Thank you for this
opportunity.
Thank you so much. And our final speaker is Damian Plaza.
Good morning, committee. Thank you for having us, first of all.
My name is Damian Plaza, and I'm the president of
AFSCME Local 505, which represents over
400 CDPH employees. And to my right, I also brought in my
chief steward, who does all the grievances.
I'm here today because we think it's extremely crucial for the next
commissioner to rebuild trust
between CDPH
leadership and frontline employees, I'm an investigator for the
Department of Health, so I'm one of those employees,
and to work to foster a real culture of mutual respect between these
two groups.
It is our hope that the next commissioner commits to an open door policy
with union leadership to proactively address
workplace concerns before they escalate into
grievances or worse,
litigation.
We view ourselves as collaborative partners, not
obstacles, and can play a helpful role in
both improving the workplace environment and advocating for the programs
we all want to succeed.
One of the critical issues the next commissioner must address is the fact that many
programs have experienced staffing shortages, we are going through that right now,
and increased workloads,
which we fear will lead to a degradation of services and
worse outcomes for the residents of the City of Chicago
We must improve. We must improve employee
morale and reduce turnover at all
costs within CDPH
while maintaining accountability and high-quality public
health services.
AFSCME looks forward to being partners in doing so.
Thank you so much for hearing us. Appreciate it.
Thank you to all our speakers. There being no further speakers, we conclude the
public comment period.
In addition to today's comments, our committee received three written public
comments for today's meeting that was shared with members of the committee
via email.
Our first item of business is the approval of the Rule 45 report.
Can I get a motion to approve?
Oh,
sorry, Alderperson Quezada so moves.
All those in favor of approving the June 2026 Rule 45 report, respond
by saying aye.
Aye.
All those opposed by saying nay.
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
Next, we will consider the appointment of Dr.
Garth Walker as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Dr. Walker, please share your remarks.
Thank you.
Good morning, Vice Chair Ramirez and members of the Committee for Health and Human
Relations. My name is Dr. Garth Walker, and I'm honored to be considered
for Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Chicago.
Public health is the science of improving the health of entire communities.
Here, it means improving the health of all of Chicago.
As a lifelong Chicagoan, that is my commitment,
and in that practice, one of the most important things we can do is ask
questions.
Who gets the chance to be healthy? You'll see that on one of our
expressways. It's a question you'll see that makes
you inquire
one of the most foundational questions around healthcare disparities.
One of those questions being why do we see a 20-year life expectancy gap between
different zip codes across Chicago?
Much of my work has focused on that very question.
I'm a child of immigrants and a son of the South Side of Chicago,
both just as meaningful for this moment as
any credential I've ever earned.
I usually joke that I was concussed into medicine.
I was a former athlete,
preferred D1 athlete at Purdue,
with hopes of trying to pursue a professional degree,
but had some sense knocked into me and started pursuing
science and medicine.
But during that time, I became committed to civic engagement.
I did AmeriCorps. I worked with DC public schools in Washington, DC to
help establish parent-teacher organizations to help get
resources for underserved communities.
It was during that time I figured out the type of physician that I wanted to be,
a physician that focuses on the social and economic issues that make it
difficult to remain healthy.
I've worked in many settings over the past decade, all with the
same intent.
When we, as a society, understand that 80% of our health is determined by where we
live,
our social status, our economic status, our neighborhood, and our environment,
it is upon us to take those things into consideration when protecting our most
vulnerable patients,
which ultimately protects our city.
Those most susceptible to infectious disease outbreaks and chronic
illnesses need a stable public health infrastructure led by
science that keeps a clear focus on those with less.
More importantly, my vision is to build a public health infrastructure that
outlasts any single administration,
one that centers health equity zones, informs how we protect the voiceless,
and invests in neighborhoods that address that 80% I was discussing
earlier. It's a public health approach that addresses the core of our
work, health surveillance and disease monitoring,
but also extends a public health approach to opioid reduction, gun
violence, and mental health crisis. We've learned this before.
We are only as healthy as our least privileged.
I'm a graduate of Chicago Public Schools, a graduate of state public institutions,
and I've trained and served at both the state and federal level.
But none of that matters when we're connecting with Chicagoans and people living
day to day. There's no credential, no research paper that earns
trust. It's about showing up.
The willingness to show up again and again and again, and earn the
trust from people of any walks of life is what matters most.
The privilege of serving as Commissioner of Public Health reflects what public
institutions can mean for individuals, and how we can reconnect to a moral
pathway, one informed by science and by people, to keep our
city healthy.
So I ask before you today, I am honored to be considered for this nomination,
and you have my full commitment that I will work with each and every one of you to
understand your communities, to figure out how public health can improve your
communities, and to keep our families healthier.
I will do it with compassion and effectiveness, led by science, a
strong steward of resources, directed by science, and done in
partnership together. Thank you.
Thank you, Dr. Walker. Are there any questions or comments from the committee
members?
Alderman Lopez?
Thank you.
Yes, I...
It's the button.
Thank you, Chairman, and good morning, members of the committee.
Good morning to our
nominee.
First off, I want to say thank you for your attempts to reach out.
I appreciate that. Very refreshing.
And I have to say two things. First off, I've never seen a resume
six pages long, so that is very impressive.
And I feel like you've been shorted on your nomination, not
getting to extol the virtues by Mr.
George Blakemore, the 51st alderman, to be here today.
Okay.
I think that's only happened three times in the 12 years I've been here, so
congratulations.
Thank you.
I would like to just talk about a few concerns to
bring to your attention as you are taking the
helm of this nearly $340
million bureaucratic apparatus known as the Department of Public
Health. I do want to also elevate the
concerns of our employees and labor
leaders,
and as well, in some cases, our delegate partners who don't need
leadership to either give frosty relationships or
pick winners and losers among the department, who should be all
rowing in the same direction.
That said,
most of your budget, as my colleagues are aware,
is grant funded. I think out of that 300 and whatever million, 90
comes from the corporate, everything else comes from grants.
But there are a number of programs that I have routinely asked
this department
to not only expand cooperation and coordination,
but outreach into our neighborhoods.
Especially Latino communities, who seem to always be the
afterthought
within this administration.
One of the areas, well, two of the areas that I want to focus on to
start with is both the STI services,
dealing with programs like
the HIV AIDS program, trying to bring our numbers down to
zero.
Which I feel has completely failed,
not just in this administration, but the last one as well.
As well as our violence reduction programs and
other community CVI type
programs, where, again, we have had longstanding policies and
protocols in place, but then in an effort to try to get more money in the
streets, we bend the rules, add new partners, and
then cause friction, not only between aldermen and
organizations, but within organizations, all jockeying to try to
identify relevance. So I'd first like to just hear your
thoughts on what we could do with regards to
our STI services, and then we'll revert back to the
CVI stuff.
Thank you, Alderman Lopez. I think when I think back to my
experience in terms of how you approach
different epidemics, spreading of different diseases from
a public health approach,
my approach is to
make sure that we don't disrupt continuity in a way that drives
disparities.
I haven't started in the role yet, but I think one of my first
responsibilities will be to make sure I understand who are
the partners, as well as the experiences within those communities,
and ensure that we can work together to be able to understand how we're able
to make sure that resources are
distributed equitably and from a health equity lens.
I think if we start from there, we're able to not
only make progress, but also repair any type of
apprehension that may have occurred before in the past.
And on the
violence prevention?
Gun violence is another issue that has been a very
big passion of mine. When I was a senior resident,
one of my best friends passed away from intimate partner violence,
and
that experience
encouraged me to work nationally on different
type of policy that can help
advance our country to reduce gun violence.
The reason why I bring that up is because some of that work was around hospital
violence intervention programs and partnerships with different emergency
departments.
And when I look back to some of my studies, it's around risk stratification.
In order to be able to make these programs as
effective as they can be, is the ability to be able to understand how risk
stratification works and ensure that we're able to close the loop on the
resources that are needed. So my hope is to be able to
partner closely with the Office of Gun Violence.
I think it's to build on the trend that we've
seen in terms of some progress around closing the life expectancy gap
seen between different
communities,
and be able to take some of those learnings from the federal
level and some of the think
thought leaders to see how we can improve Chicago
on this very topic.
Well, I just wish to warn you, the Office of Gun Violence doesn't exist
because it's not funded by any budgetary item yet.
Your department does exist, and with 10 months to
go in this administration left,
I want to make sure that we are being very productive with what is available
at your disposal.
Because I know that even as we have the discussion about the Office of Gun
Violence, and that may be a discussion in budget,
that won't be
a reality until 2027.
Mm-hmm.
We still have five and a half months to go here in 2026,
where we're dealing with multiple issues that need to be addressed immediately.
And
I think that's where working with our partners, working with our employees,
and cultivating that environment where they can speak freely is going to be
so instrumental to your success, because we do want you to be successful.
All our communities depend on that success.
But we can't have-
... your department's siloed in ways where it's not
only cut off from the rest of the administration and
our collective efforts to improve communities, but it's also cut off
from itself.
As I say, the left hand needs to know what the right hand is doing, and you've got
about
5,000 hands over there. So I want to make sure that we
are focusing on things that we know
work. I, for one, am happy to sit down
post-approval
to go over the things that we've seen, because sometimes it's the easiest and
simplest things that
this administration has directed individuals in your
role
not to engage with aldermen,
and you're missing out on easy wins, both for the
communities, the department, and this administration.
Case in point, something that I think my colleagues are probably tired of me
talking about, are condoms.
Mm-hmm.
This department used to help coordinate and give out condoms to
communities, particularly as we were trying to both address
teen pregnancy, pregnancy, as well
as STI and HIV.
Mm-hmm.
And then we've seen that program fall to the wayside, even though we know we get
grants for all of those things,
simply because there's almost a gag order by the
administration on you to offer things to
aldermen.
Now,
I'm saying this out loud because I don't think
that anyone who's going to be successful
should be caught unawares that once you take this job, that members of the
fifth floor's team are going to tell you, "Don't talk to aldermen proactively.
Don't engage them." That's not going to be helpful.
And I don't want you to walk into that role thinking that you're just supposed to
sit here and just write the checks for the various things that he wants
done without talking to us.
So
I know my colleagues have plenty to ask you.
I will vote in support because I think you bring a breath of fresh
air when it comes to your world experience.
I'm going to go on faith that you want to be successful in this role, and
hopefully are planning to stay beyond 10 months with the next administration
if you are successful. But I think that
you need to know exactly what you're walking into,
and be willing to tell those who would try to silence your engagement
that in order to be successful for all of our communities, that you need to be
able to speak freely with all 50 of us, not just the ones that are
here. Thank you, Chairman.
Thank you, Alderman. Now we have Alderwoman
Maria Hadden.
Thank you, Chair.
Hi, Dr. Walker. Thank you. I'll just echo that it was nice to chat with
you earlier. Thank you for being willing to take on this
role and this challenge. I want to
plus one my colleague's concerns around
one of your primary challenges, which is going to be
bolstering your team. So the CDPH staff.
You
were at IDPH, right,
during some of the height of the pandemic.
This department has been under pressure like no other
for several years,
from pandemic pressures, massive expansions,
increase in responsibilities to lately,
the pressures of a decrease in funding and threats to cuts.
And
the next commissioner for this department
is going to have to deal with all the core goals,
right, of the public health
emergencies that we have happening, as well as, and I was happy to
hear Karen mention it, the management challenges
of reconstituting or
a recomposition of the morale for this department.
You've heard from stewards and
representatives of the team. I hope that you will have a good relationship with
them.
They're your frontline people.
And in our space, that means that's the experience
of what
the delivery of service is going to be for our constituents.
They also know, and you are a man of science here,
they're your information, they're your input, right?
They're an important part of your feedback loop in a very
complex management situation.
I'd also say that I hope you do turn to
us for help and for sharing concerns and
for partnership and thinking. You are coming in
right before a budget season, and I'll say from
working with your predecessor,
she had a lot of strengths, and one of the major
challenges that I saw was, for whatever
reason,
there was an isolation.
Mm-hmm.
Right? There was an isolation. And we can do that as people
when we are under stress, when we are overburdened, and when we
are facing what seems to be insurmountable pieces.
And we can
be in an environment where we feel like we need to handle it all,
but no one person can actually do all those things.
And isolating is the opposite of what
you're going to need to do.
You're going to need to open up. You're going to need to look to your team, your
staff.
You've got great folks who want you to succeed.
I'm going to call out Alfonso there in the back.
Right? You've got
institutional knowledge within your department.
who just very truly, they want you to succeed.
They want the department to succeed through all the massive
changes that have occurred, and what I imagine will
be more changes to come in the future.
We've got a world-class department.
You guys are some of the services that our constituents really rely on
the most, and we need you. And so I'm
heaping tons of pressure on you.
It's welcome.
All the pressure. The other thing I'll just say is,
as someone who's not originally from Chicago, you are,
but you've had experience that's taken you out of our city and
to different spaces. And so you're also very well-positioned
to be able to meld those things, to think about what we could be doing
differently.
We can, as a city, be
adverse to change and adverse to outside ideas.
So use your home advantage to
maybe see how we do things, understand our Chicago
way, and maybe think of ways that we
could innovate that a little bit. And you got some nods from the back of
the room. You can't see behind you, but you might have some good ideas
from some of your team in the CDPH department who
are willing to do that. So, count us as partners.
I look forward to your leadership, and thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Alderwoman Hadden. Are there any other questions
from committee members? Alderwoman Manahappen Worth.
Hi, Dr. Walker.
Hi.
Thank you so much for reaching out, and I look forward to
talking with you more,
and looking forward to working with you.
Thank you for stepping up to
this appointment. And I wanted to add
that
the 48th Ward is along the lakefront, and we
are working hard with CDPH and other departments to
make sure that people are getting what they need.
And I just wanted to lift up that this is one of the most vulnerable
communities, not just in the 48th Ward, but all of Chicago.
These tent encampments are really the
Wild West. We have
no
boundaries there. And
in speaking with a lot of the folks living in these encampments, they
want more resources, but they don't know how to get them.
Primary is
ways to stabilize individuals so that they can
stabilize their actual community,
whether that means mental health resources or
help with medications. So I hope that we can work
together on that. I'm interested in-- I come from a
family of healthcare workers. My family came here in the
'60s as nurses, and my dad worked in the emergency
room for many years at South Chicago Community Hospital.
My mom was an OB nurse, and I'm a physical therapist, too.
So I understand that continuity of care really is
what we're talking about for every single one of our constituencies,
and I hope that you bring that also to the City of Chicago through
your work at CDPH. Thank you.
Appreciate those comments.
Thank you, Alderwoman. Alderman Lamont Robinson.
Chairman, thank you for allowing me this opportunity.
Dr. Walker,
it is great to see you in this chair.
We go back some time,
and
let me say that I'm grateful for you to step up in this
time
when
we are
seeing
so much...
What word do I want to use?
So many challenges, is the best way to put it,
coming from our federal government.
And when my colleagues are sitting here,
your resume
and all the work that you have done
sets the tone for what you are about to walk into.
I know personally
that
you did not have to do this.
You were fine where you were,
but you knew the City of Chicago needed you at this time,
and so I appreciate you stepping up.
You know the work that I have been doing
in raising the white flag around HIV.
We've made some good strides at the state.
We have some work to do at the City of Chicago.
Getting to zero, as you know, is not a buzzword.
We can get to zero if we properly
fund HIV care.
As my colleague mentioned, that we focus in on
Black-led and Hispanic-led organizations, knowing
that that is where we're seeing high rates of
HIV.
But you also understand that
there's more to it
than just funding It's housing, it's education,
it's all of these things. And so I know that you will pull all the
resources in to make sure that
Chicago leads the charge in getting to zero.
No matter what happens at the federal level, what happens at the state,
I know that you will figure it out.
As my colleague mentioned a little earlier,
that we're putting a lot of faith and trust in you, and I know that
you're the right person for this job.
You also have some great folks that are working in the
Chicago Department of Health. One of my colleagues mentioned
Alfonso, who is in the back of the room,
has been carrying the water for us for some time.
And I know that he will continue to help you
navigate this very large ship
that you are taking on. And so,
Doc, thank you again
for
being a person of faith
and taking on this huge responsibility at this time.
Thank you.
Thank you, Alderman. Alderwoman Cruz.
Thank you, Chairman Ramirez. I'm going to go a little bit
ahead and say congratulations, Dr. Walker.
As my colleagues have said, you're definitely coming in some very difficult times,
not only from the federal government, but also here in the city.
But I am hopeful that with your experience and guidance, you're
going to lead us to overcome those challenges.
And as we talk about people that are in our staff who
are the connectors, who help us build who we are and the work that we do,
I also want to echo some of one of the names has been said.
Alfonso has been a lead connector in my office.
I can honestly say that I don't know what I have done if he wouldn't been in that
role. He's very responsive, has helped us with challenges that we
have faced in our office, and at times we have
experienced a lack of involvement from the department.
But Alfonso has been able to make that connection to
be a smooth process.
And why I say that is, one of the speakers mentioned about how do we
rebuild trust? How do we have an open door policy in your department?
Just want to know that you have those key components in your office,
like Alfonso and many others. But I wish you the best.
We will be working together because I will be seeking your guidance on things that
we're also going to be doing in the upcoming months in the 30th Ward when it
comes to how do we house our
unhoused members and provide them that
care for them to heal and recover and move on.
But we'll be connecting with you. I'll tell you a little more about it after the
meeting. But congratulations and welcome.
Thank you.
Thank you, Alderwoman. Alderman Sigcho-Lopez.
Thank you.
Thank you, Chairwoman, and thank you
soon to be commissioner, I hope.
That is a good time. I think it's an important
change. I am very grateful for the opportunity to
talk to you.
You have my full support. I think there is a welcoming change in the
department.
I want to just emphasize on
the difficult times that we live in our country, especially with the lack of
support from the federal government.
I think that that puts a lot of burden in
the department, and also
definitely will mean that we need to work together and be creative,
innovative to address the issues as my colleague, Alderman Robinson mentioned,
right? We make sure that we continue to invest in HIV prevention, to make sure that
we prevent
illnesses and also potential epidemics.
We saw
the neglect of the federal government in a time where the measles,
potential measles outbreak, and the need to collaborate with health
navigators and other grassroots organizations.
I think that has been also an strength in the City of Chicago.
So my question to you is, how can we, in a time like this, I know
that it is shameful that the federal government is not fully funding departments
like public health and really neglecting the responsibility to prevent
illnesses and look after the well-being and health of all Americans,
independent of the background of the skin of our color,
and it's shameful that we have to say that.
But to that extent, how do you envision
that? How
can we work together? How we can support you and maybe a little bit about your
vision for the department now that you share.
I'm fully supportive and also as many of my colleagues impressed with your resume
and also with the work that you are already been doing and excited to partner with
you here in the City of Chicago.
Thank you. And thank you for those comments.
When I talk about discussing a public health infrastructure that's centered around
health equity, I think about some of the past learnings that we had during
COVID-19. One of the initiatives
I started was Restoring Our Communities, which was
to partner with
community-based organizations, faith-based organizations in Black and Latino
communities, and also rural communities because we saw that
rural communities were unvaccinated and had
high mortality rates, depending on
which regions you are looking at.
But the common thread amongst all that is the
notion of being able to connect with people,
understand who has the trust, and be able to present
yourself in a way where they can trust you.
So my hope is to be able to engage all the aldermen here, all
the aldermen
of Chicago across the 77 neighborhoods, and understand how
do we build those-
ecosystems where we have outsized impact in terms of connecting with
people who may have felt neglected or may not be checked upon
on as frequent as others,
whether it be for speaking a different language, whether it be due to a
socioeconomic status.
There are initiatives that have outsized impacts that can keep our city
very healthy. And I think
by building off some of the discussions around health equity zones,
that was one of the
topics I would write upon before going up to Washington.
And at the core of it is very simple, is trying to figure out
who is most vulnerable and make sure that we are
intentional about how we protect communities, because if we can't
protect the communities that are most vulnerable, we put our whole city at
risk. And
while I haven't started in the role yet,
the initial will be able to meet with some of the great leaders that are already
there, the acting commissioner
and others that have been continuing a lot of the incredible work,
but also meet and understand all the core
issues that a public health approach can be applied to
and be able to build in collaboration off the initiatives
that we've learned that worked in the past,
but also acknowledge that it will be a difficult financial environment.
Thank you, Dr.
Walker. Thank you, Dr. Walker, and I'm really excited and looking forward to
working with you, and you have our full support, and looking forward to having you
on board to work together and see how we can partner up.
Thank you, and congratulations.
Thank you.
Thank you, Chairwoman.
Thank you all so much. Can I get a motion to approve the appointment of Dr.
Garth Walker? So moved by everyone in the room by
Alderwoman Hadden. All those in favor of accepting this item, respond by saying
"aye." All those opposed by saying "nay." In the opinion of the chair, the
ayes have it. I will report this do pass recommendation at the upcoming
city council meeting. With there being no further business before the committee,
can I get a motion to adjourn? So moved by Alderman Lopez.
Hearing no objections, so ordered.
The meeting of the Committee on Health and Human Relations is now adjourned.