Dec. 11--Dr. Bechara Choucair, who as Chicago commissioner of public health championed Mayor Rahm Emanuel's controversial decision to shut down half of the city's mental health clinics, and who was out front defending the mayor's moves to hike cigarette taxes and crack down on tobacco sales, will step down at the end of this year.
Choucair, who was appointed health commissioner by Mayor Richard M. Daley in late 2009 and kept in the post by Emanuel, will take a job as a vice president at Trinity Health, according to a news release from the mayor's office. The company runs Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood and Mercy Hospital in Chicago, along with hospitals in other states.
Emanuel will appoint Dr. Julie Morita, the city health department's chief medical officer, to replace Choucair as commissioner, according to the mayor's office.
In 2012, the mayor closed half of the city's 12 mental health clinics, a decision that has drawn ongoing criticism from mental health advocates and some aldermen who say Chicago's low-income residents who need mental health care are finding it tougher to get those services.
Choucair was frequently the point person for the administration in rebutting those arguments. He appeared at a City Council committee meeting in August to make the case that mental health care is better in the city now.
"Our city is moving in the right direction," Choucair told aldermen. "Two years after starting our reforms, Chicago's mental health system today is stronger than it was.
"Do we have a perfect mental health system in Chicago today? Absolutely not. But is our mental health system today better than it was two years ago? Absolutely yes."
Choucair was also tasked with making the case for Emanuel's revenue-boosting 2013 cigarette tax increase, which gave Chicago the highest per-pack tax in the nation.
And he made the case for Emanuel's city worker wellness plan, which required many city employees to participate in health screenings in order to avoid surcharges in their health insurance premiums.
"Thanks to the outstanding work of Dr. Choucair, Chicago is a healthier city today and CDPH is seen as a national leader in public health," Emanuel said in the news release. "We will miss him and his passion for helping Chicagoans live healthy lives."
jebyrne@tribpub.com
Twitter @_johnbyrne
