Chicago-based Stroger Hospital names next chief executive

Cook County Health, the area’s public safety-net health system, has named a new leader for John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital.

Donnica Austin-Cathey, 52, began March 27 as Stroger’s chief hospital executive, overseeing its operations and finances.

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Austin-Cathey comes from Sinai Health, the city’s largest private safety-net health system, where she was president of Holy Cross Hospital on the South Side. Before that, she was Sinai’s vice president of operations of acute care hospitals.

“She has extensive health care leadership experience in our market,” Cook County Health CEO Israel Rocha Jr. said in a statement. “Her expertise, knowledge of health care operations, and commitment to serving the communities we care for will ensure her success leading Stroger Hospital into the future.”

Cook County Health is Chicago’s third-largest health system by revenue, reporting $3.7 billion in 2021 net patient revenue, according to Crain’s data. Stroger Hospital alone reported $465.3 million in 2021 patient revenue. 

Cook County Health also operates Provident Hospital and more than a dozen community health centers, the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center and the Cook County Department of Public Health. Additionally, the organization runs Correctional Health Services, the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and CountyCare, a Medicaid health plan.

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Altogether, Cook County Health cares for more than 600,000 people a year across its operations.

Austin-Cathey holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a master's of health administration from Governors State University, according to her LinkedIn profile.

“I am excited to join the team at Cook County Health and become part of a system that plays such an integral role in advancing the health and wellbeing of communities across the county,” Austin-Cathey said in the statement. “I look forward to working closely with Cook County Health’s talented doctors, nurses, and staff to ensure a high-quality and rewarding health care experience for all patients.”

This story first appeared in Crain's Chicago Business.