Summit discusses health care, economy
By Michael Sean Comerford Contributor January 31, 2012 6:58PM
Barrington Village President Karen Darch (right) talks with Garret Hill (back to camera) during the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Summit State of the Region. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 3, 2012 8:06AM
Area leaders gathered Tuesday for a local economic snapshot as Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital President Karen Lambert added her perspective on health-care challenges in the coming years.
Sponsored by the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Summit and State of the Region meeting at Makray Memorial Golf Course was attended by about 190 people, from four counties and eight villages.
“This is really our annual report card for the state of the Chamber and our region,” said Chamber President Janet Meyer before the meeting. “We’re looking forward to a positive year.”
As head of Barrington’s largest single employer, Lambert pointed to concerns on the health-care horizon.
She called the present health-care system in the country “fragmented” and “unaffordable” to many. She said it “continues to be a highly volatile environment.”
However, she pointed to strides being made by Good Shepherd and local organizations to stem health issues in the community.
“We do believe there are opportunities to change,” she told the crowd.
President of the hospital since 2001, Lambert pointed to the “Healthier Barrington” survey in 2011 as an indicator of what the community needs.
About one in five local residents put off health-care services because of costs, she said, which means some people couldn’t afford their deductibles. Another 14 percent had experienced a job loss. An estimated 44 percent of those had difficulty getting help finding a job, she said.
One of the priorities would be developing an information and referral system, or a dial 211 informational hot line along the lines of what McHenry County is developing. Although still in the works, it would provide health care and work resources to individuals in need, she said.
She also pointed to initiatives aimed at the biggest causes for local residents to check into Good Shepherd. The No. 1 reason is falling. Other top initiatives address cancer, heart disease, obesity and youth fitness, she said.
The hospital’s position for the future includes a focus on chronic diseases, high-quality care, lifelong relationships, communications, accountable care organizations, and wellness and prevention measures, she said.
“Integration of care will be the main difference,” Lambert said after her speech. “We recognize we can do a better job in the future.”
Lambert, however, did not address the issues of Centegra Health System and Mercy Health System attempting to enter the Huntley and Crystal Lake markets, moves opposed by Good Shepherd. She also did not specify how national health-care reforms will affect Good Shepherd, except to say, “We’ll be moving forward in that direction.”
Barrington Village President Karen Darch followed Lambert’s luncheon talk with a summary of Barrington village projects.
Darch said the village added 34 new businesses in the last year, including this summer’s entrance of Heinen’s Fine Foods into downtown Barrington. Sales taxes were up 6 percent last year, Darch told the crowd.
The Hough-Main project has a proposed developer and is moving forward, she added.
However, she warned about increased freight train traffic in the future, from the current six trains a day to 26 trains going through the village daily.
She said the village is in the midst of a Tiger II federal grant to study an underpass at the Route 14 crossing, east of Route 59, which should be completed next spring. She said, if approved, the village will seek funding from the Canadian National Railway.
Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud touted upgrades to the village’s high-tech connections, from an upcoming 4G upgrade for Internet and other services, to a new fiber optic cable connection. He called on the business leaders to work together with local governments.
Representatives of Deer Park, Lake Barrington, North Barrington, South Barrington, Tower Lakes and Port Barrington also summarized positive changes in their respective villages.
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