Great Ideas from Constituents of the 14th District

I love being on the campaign trail in the 14th District because I get to meet and talk to so many smart and interesting people. I ask them, "Is there an idea you have that would make Cook County a better place to live and work?"

I am writing down all these great ideas as I get them, and I intend to use them all, once elected. Here are a few:

1. A wonderful man who takes care of the physical plant at the Cook County Jail, and who resides in the 14th District, said that if a few thousand dollars were spent on more cameras mounted to monitor more areas of the jail, we would save millions. Unsupervised areas create two major expenses: vandalism (which he reports costs taxpayers millions and that he sees everyday and has to clean up and repair) and lawsuits from inmates who are injured by other inmates in unsupervised situations.

More cameras in the jail. Check!

2. A doctor I spoke to at a recent coffee held for me in a Glenview resident's home told me about software that automatically codes the entries for billing of medical services. At the most recent County Board meeting that I attended (9-16-09), we were all shocked to hear that there is an average 60% error rate in the coding entry for services at Cook County Hospitals. Yes, you heard it right -- not 6%, not 16%, but 60%!

That this was not on the front page of all county newspapers the next day was even more of a surprise to me. And at the meeting, all those testifying and speaking from the Commissioners' chairs could say is that we need better training. Some rightly said that we need to be able to fire incompetent people. But my friend, the doctor, said that it can all be automated, and with NO errors. Understand, if the coding is not correct in the billing, then the county receives no payment for the services rendered. Taxpayers once again are footing this bill.

Software for medical bill coding. Check!

3. And this from a regular user of the Forest Preserves, and a dog lover: She suggests a dog park area set aside near the forest preserves in more areas of the 14th District. There are a very few areas, but they are not close enough to where people need them. Residents are paying tickets (more than one might imagine), reports one Cook County courthouse employee friend of mine, for letting their beloved four-legged family members get a little exercise in the wide-open areas. One way to save them lots of fines that would not only pay for itself but would likely generate some income is to have dog parks that limited numbers of residents could get a token to use. I won't spend time here on this blog extolling the benefits of dog parks -- just research it a bit. They are great.

More neighborhood dog park areas near the Forest Preserve areas. Check!

4. A Northbrook attorney, wife, and mother said that she regularly checks online to find out what planned activities there are for the Forest Preserve properties in her area. She hears now and then from others that there are great events she can take her young daughter to, but there is very little on the Cook County Forest Preserve district minimalist web site. She asks for more family-friendly public communication of programs throughout Cook County, not just programs in the Forest Preserves. Once she called to get more information, and the recording on the voice mail was three years old, dated, and out of date.

More family-friendly communications of Cook County programs easily available on the Internet. Check!

MORE good ideas wanted -- keep 'em coming!