State hospital panel worries Rezko trial gives it a bad image

Yesterday Springfield's primary daily newspaper, The State Journal-Register, published the article State hospital panel worries Rezko trial gives it a bad image (which subsequently ran in other local publications across the nation). Many voters are watching what will unfold from the Rezko trial and becoming more and more disillusioned with State government. In this specific article a former member of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board has been accused of misconduct in conjunction with Rezko, who has been accused of pressuring firms seeking state business for kickbacks and split a $1 million bribe from a contractor looking to build a hospital. I am one of the co-chairs of a task force considering changes in the board's operations. Like many of my recent posts, my take is a strong need for transparency in Springfield. The entire article is posted below. Please comment with any concerns, questions, or opinions on this matter.



State hospital panel worries Rezko trial gives it a bad image
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The head of an Illinois hospital board is worried that being mentioned day after day in a government corruption trial will give people the wrong idea about the panel.

Susana Lopatka, chairwoman of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, said she is dismayed by the headlines and wants the public to know things are different now.

"I get asked on a daily basis, is that your board?" she told The (Springfield) State Journal-Register.

"It makes me heartsick to see this board beaten up in the newspapers every day."

A former member of the planning board is accused of misconduct in conjunction with Chicago businessman Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who faces federal charges.

Former member Stuart Levine claims he and Rezko pressured firms seeking state business for kickbacks and split a $1 million bribe from a contractor looking to build a hospital.

And former board chairman Thomas Beck has testified he took "marching orders" from Rezko, although he has not been charged with a crime.

The planning board determines whether hospitals and other health facilities can expand. The trial adds urgency to discussions about whether the board is really needed.

"We can't help but take note of what happened in the past for this board," said Sen. Susan Garrett, D-Lake Forest, who co-chairs a task force considering changes in the board's operations. "More than anything, the public wants the system to be as pure as possible."

The corruption described in the Rezko trial "can happen again," Garrett said.

Lopatka, however, insists that any problems were solved when former members were ousted in 2004 and a new, smaller version of the board was appointed.

Former panel chairman Glenn Poshard said he understands why the Rezko trial raises questions.

"If I were just a citizen out there reading what I've seen in the papers so far about this trial, I would have the very opinion that the board was still of a nature that was corrupt and inefficient and being used for personal gain and profit," said Poshard, president of Southern Illinois University.

"But the fact of the matter is the board has changed, and the board, in my judgment, is effective."

The Illinois Hospital Association wants some changes but supports the board's process of reviewing the need for new facilities and services, said senior vice president Howard Peters.

In contrast, the Illinois State Medical Society believes the board should be disbanded because it creates additional barriers to medical services.

Since 2000, the Illinois General Assembly has considered dismantling the board. Current law allows it to expire at the end of August, although legislation is pending to extend the deadline through next July.