The site was constructed inside an empty Kmart that had been sitting empty for years, according to Cook County Bureau Chief of Asset Management, John Yonan.
“Our biggest challenge was the condition of it,” said Yonan. “There was a leaky roof that needed to be fixed.”
In fact, Yonan said dressing rooms and a jewelry counter were still in place relics of the big box store it once was.
Even ceiling panels, floor tiles and lighting had to be replaced.
What made this site prime was the open floor plan, he said, allowing nurses to see from one end of the building to the other.
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The Cook County Board of Commissioners at their Thursday meeting unanimously voted to adopt an ordinance to make Juneteenth a paid county holiday for employees, a move one commissioner called a “first step in the healing process for African Americans and all.”
“This year, Cook County, and the nation, have experienced unprecedented racial and civil unrest,” said Stanley Moore, the chief sponsor of the ordinance. “The call for recognizing this … is stronger than ever. This is the first step toward healing for African Americans and for all the Cook County suburbs and our region as a whole.”