PAs at Cermak join Local 73
Fifteen physician assistants at Cermak Health Services in the Cook County Health & Hospitals System are the newest members of SEIU Local 73.
Their certification became official on September 4, ending a six-month campaign by Local 73 organizers.
PAs at Cermak now have better bargaining strength and leverage with management on a broad range of issues, including wage increases, furlough days and deplorable working conditions.
The PAs often have to stand in high water during the intake process on detainees because the hospital clinic floods.
There are many other examples of deplorable conditions that need to be addressed.
The Cermak facility is connected to the Cook County Jail, which is the largest single-site county jail in the nation.
Cermak Health Services is the daily provider of healthcare to the approximately 11,000 detainees at the Cook County Department of Corrections.
As the largest single site correctional health service in the country, the 150,000-square-foot facility provides a comprehensive range of services, including primary care, specialty care, dental and mental health services, a pharmacy, rehabilitative care and a 129-bed infirmary.