Today, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the appointment of Dr. Erik Mikaitis as Cook County Health’s (CCH) Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Mikaitis has served as interim CEO since December 2, 2023.

“Dr. Mikaitis’ continued leadership and commitment to health equity will further Cook County Health’s mission of service, ensuring that quality health care and services are accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

The CCH Board of Directors engaged in a robust, eight-month search process to identify and evaluate the health system’s next chief executive. The process garnered strong interest from a broad group of candidates both locally and nationally.

“The Cook County Health Board of Directors is confident that under Dr. Mikaitis’ leadership the health system will continue to transform and grow access to care for Cook County residents, while also developing an efficient and sustainable roadmap for ongoing success in a highly complex operating environment,” said Lyndon A. Taylor, Chair, CCH Board of Directors.

“It is a privilege to be appointed to this role and I look forward to continuing to work with the incredible CCH team to build on the momentum we have developed to advance our historic mission,” said Dr. Mikaitis. “My vision is to build on CCH’s strong foundation and lead the health system to a future rooted in equity, high reliability, and innovation.”

As CEO, Dr. Mikaitis will provide executive leadership for one of the largest public health systems in the country. Cook County Health serves as the safety-net for health care in Chicago and suburban Cook County, and is comprised of John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital and Provident Hospital, a robust network of more than a dozen community health centers, the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center, Cermak Health Services, which provides health care to individuals at the Cook County Jail and the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH), and CountyCare, a Medicaid managed care health plan.

CCH has a proposed FY2025 budget of more than $5 billion. The health system provides direct care and services to more than 600,000 individuals each year. It also serves as the steward of public health for 2.3 million residents of suburban Cook County through CCDPH.

As Interim CEO, Dr. Mikaitis oversaw the investment in clinical technology at CCH, including robotic-assisted surgery program, the opening of a high-tech neurosciences unit, and the launch of a robotic lung bronchoscopy platform. During this time, CCH also established its Office of Behavioral Health, continued providing comprehensive care to new arrivals from South and Central America, and entered into CCH’s first value-based care contract.

Previously, Dr. Mikaitis held the position of CCH’s Chief Quality Officer. In that role, he implemented numerous quality initiatives to improve patient outcomes across the health system.

Before joining CCH, Dr. Mikaitis served as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Franciscan Health Crown Point. Dr. Mikaitis also served as Medical Director of the Franciscan Health Accountable Care Organization in the northern Indiana and south suburban Chicago regions.

Dr. Mikaitis is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician. He earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Master of Business Administration from DePaul University, and a medical degree from Ross University.