President Preckwinkle and Cook County Bureau of Asset Management Announce $20 million Infrastructure Improvement Program Known as Build Up Cook
Today, President Preckwinkle was joined by the Cook County Bureau of Asset Management and other elected officials to announce the Build Up Cook program, a $20 million program to improve infrastructure throughout 26 priority communities in suburban Cook County.
“By directly investing in our communities and improving infrastructure beyond buildings owned by Cook County, we are also investing in the overall quality of life across Cook County. It is a small but important step toward a more equitable Cook County, and we are proud to support municipalities as they strengthen capacity and improve the resiliency of the communities we serve,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
Cook County has committed $20 million of ARPA funding toward the Build Up Cook Program, a program under the Bureau of Asset Management, the bureau charged with maintaining most county buildings and facilities. The program will use funds to lend the technical expertise of the county to assist in project management, budgeting, and planning of infrastructure improvement projects in communities across the south and west areas of Cook County. Build Up Cook will also assist municipalities in finding funding resources for future projects.
This morning, President Preckwinkle announced Phase 1 of the program. In Phase 1, Build Up Cook staff have reached out to all 26 priority communities to listen, understand, and work together to address capital and infrastructure needs through investment and capacity building. During the pilot program earlier this year, the Cook County Bureau of Asset Management conducted needs assessments and completed several infrastructure projects including water main replacements, sewer repairs, and village hall repairs.
More information, as well as a comprehensive list of the municipalities involved in this program, click here.
To watch the program, click here.
 Nick Shields
Deputy Chief of Staff - Communications
Cook County Medical Debt Relief Initiative Abolishes over $280 Million in Medical Debt for Cook County Residents
 Tuesday, President Preckwinkle announced Cook County's Medical Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) has successfully acquired and abolished a total of $281.3 million in medical debt to benefit 158,541 Cook County residents since the program launched in 2022.
“I am proud to announce that Cook County’s Medical Debt Relief Initiative has already acquired and erased over $280 million in medical debt for our residents throughout Cook County; and, thanks to a collaboration with the University of Chicago Medicine, this latest round of abolishment will have the largest impact to date,” said President Preckwinkle. “We take great pride in what MDRI has achieved thus far, and this work underscores the profound impact of the American Rescue Plan Act, a transformative piece of legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden. As we continue to leverage the funds provided by APRA, we eagerly anticipate providing relief to thousands more of our Cook County residents who have been disproportionately burdened by the weight of medical debt.”
The most recent round of debt abolishment was made possible by UChicago Medicine, an academic health system based on Chicago’s South Side. Cook County worked with its program administrator RIP Medical Debt, a national non-profit, to purchase medical debt from UChicago Medicine and forgive $173.7 million for 85,060 patients who received care at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park, the University of Chicago Physicians Group or UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, IL. On average, each UChicago Medicine patient saw $2,043 in debt relief, with over 75% of patient households reporting annual incomes below $51,000.
To learn more about Medical Debt Relief, click here.
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