Why Was Dr. Terry Mason Fired?

Dr. Terry Mason, chief architect of Cook County’s COVID-19 response, was relieved from his duties as the chief operating officer for the Cook County Department of Pubic Health. Debra Carey, Interim CEO of the Cook County Health and Hospitals Systems, fired him.

This is the world of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who said, “Mason was terminated. It’s a personnel matter and I don’t comment on personnel matters.” She thanked Mason for his seven years of service. So, when did interims start firing executives?

The people of Cook County are owed a real explanation from Madame Preckwinkle. Dr. Terry Mason has been an integral and exemplary part of the Chicago and Cook County health scene for decades.

By training he is a urologist who was on call at Michael Reese and Mercy hospitals in addition to his private practice. He developed a specialty service for male erectile dysfunction and prostate cancer.

Terry left a lucrative private practice to devote time to public service. He has served as the Commissioner of Health for the City of Chicago, responsible for over 1,200 employees and with an annual operating budget of about $200 million dollars.

He is an advocate of healthy living with instructions on how through his lectures in churches, community organizations and hotel conference rooms. He is sought after nationwide for advice and consultation on health/medical matters.

His love is what he labels “community medicine.” He has a stellar record as a medic, from a practicing doctor to public administration, so how do you fire this top-notch, world-class doctor in a time of an unknown medical crisis that has created havoc worldwide?

What’s Going On At The County Level?
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle owes the public an explanation as to why Mason was fired and what the County is doing in this time of the emergency coronavirus crisis.

The county board sets policy and laws for the county regarding public health services, and the board president should be leading the way. Where is Preckwinkle’s daily press conference?

Since the virus is still weeks from peaking in Illinois, not only is it curious that the esteemed Mason was fired suspiciously, but how could you fire him at this time of crisis, when Governor Pritkzer is desperately calling for medical personnel, young and old, retired and working, to come to the aid of the patients of the State of Illinois who may be affected by this terrifying virus.

Preckwinkle’s judgment is being publically questioned, not only in the Mason firing, but also in the closing of Provident Hospital’s Emergency Room. The ER closes as a time when the virus makes available hospital beds premium real estate.

The hospital should be virus ready as it sits across the park from The University of Chicago Medical Center, where a joint venture is waiting. What is Cook County Hospital, one of the world’s largest, doing to accommodate virus patients? Couldn’t the old building be readied and made available for an overflow of patients?

If McCormick Place could be turned into an “operating medical edifice” in five days, what could the old County Hospital do or become? If other closed hospitals can be reopened and repurposed, why couldn’t the old Cook County Hospital? And what is being done with Stroger Hospital with its 450 beds that have served the county’s indigenous community for the past 180 years. Is it virus-ready?

This is crucial to know since African Americans account for 30 percent of the coronavirus cases in Illinois, according to Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

According to early data analyzed by WBEZ, while Black residents make up only 23 percent of the population of Cook County, they account for 58 percent of the COVID-19 deaths. And half of the deceased lived in Chicago, according to data from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

As of Saturday, April 4, 107 of Cook County’s 183 deaths from COVID-19 were Black. In Chicago, 61 of the 86 recorded deaths – or 70 percent – were Black residents. Blacks make up 29 percent of Chicago’s population.

Preckwinkle seems absent from the process and procedure. She did not appear at the transformation of McCormick Place with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Governor J.B. Pritzker. She was absent. Why did she not participate with them? Is this political minutia?

Mason is the third high ranking health official to be cut from county government in recent months. In November, the Board of Cook County Health voted to oust Dr. John Jay Shannon, the CEO of the county’s health arm. In February, the health system’s chief financial officer, Ekerete Akan, was dismissed.

I am publicly questioning the decision making of President Toni at this time in the dismissal of Dr. Terry Mason and the shut down of the emergency room at Provident Hospital.

Poor judgement, it seems to me. I am asking for a public explanation as to why Dr. Terry Mason was fired and you cannot hide behind the “this is a personnel matter” mask. This is a public safety matter and this is not the time to abort your duties.

For the sake of full disclosure, Toni Preckwinkle is on record as saying that she does not like me. It is personal on her part. I am on public record, private and personally, for an absolute early support of Lori Lightfoot’s mayoral run, when she victoriously won each and every city ward in the 2019 election over Preckwinkle.

Leadership Matters

One of the things learned from this virus epidemic is that leadership matters. Contemporary voting tends to lean to image making, TV commercials, digital hits, algorhythms, rally audiences, suits and ties, dresses, pantsuits, hairstyles, TV debates and other optics.

The policy questions become second tier and almost incidental. The debate team has a brand new question, “What Would You Do If…?” We the voters need to firmly realize the politician that you vote for, from alderman to president, can make decisions that affect your very life.

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emnauel has said, “Crisis reveals character.” So maybe we should ask politicians now about their character. Voting is more important today than ever as we see the Democrats begin to plan for a “virtual election” while the Republicans under Trump say “no” under no circumstance to that, as well as an absolute “no” to mail voting.

We will more than likely see different voting patterns in the election of 2020; we just don’t know what it will look like yet. But this is an election year, perhaps the most important in our lifetime, and in some way, voting will take place.

We’ve only begun the second quarter, but the year 2020 is shot in almost every way already. The economy is devastated and the government will be challenged to step it up to bail out industries as well as small and independent businesses. We are looking at a Greater Depression head on.

The medical community next year will be totally reconsidered as it is redesigned and revamped in every way, from personnel to medical supplies. We will see a new medical system emerge from this Covid-19 disaster, and rightfully so.

Hopefully soon, the entertainment community will resume with live music, festivals, movies and theater. We need creative expression immediately. Restaurants have changed and carryout will probably become a permanent part of the menu, even with the fine diners and world-class restaurants.

The world of media once again has changed, as we see reports coming from living rooms with Zoom guests. Because of the demonstrated viability of working at home, corporate real estate will change and budgets will change. Do you really need all that office space anymore, if employees can work effectively from home?

Newness will come forth in interesting ways, like Zoom and conference calls. Facebook Live and Instagram have taken on new meaning as entertainers and DJs actually perform live on them from their back yards and living rooms.

We are entering a brand new world of the unknown as we stay home and get to know families better and read and cook and work and exercise and figure it all out.

So this is not a time for political shenanigans for any reason, and I hope Preckwinkle has a good reason to fire the lead guy in charge of the health team at this time. If not, it’s just time for her to go.

Change.