The chief operating officer for the Cook County Department of Public Health, who was the face of the county’s efforts to battle the coronavirus, was ousted from the job on Friday, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Dr. Terry Mason joined Cook County Health as the health system’s chief medical officer before transitioning into the role of chief operating officer of the Cook County Department of Public Health in 2013.
No official reason was given for Mason’s departure, but sources said he was terminated.
Debra Carey, the interim CEO of Cook County Health, said in a statement that Friday was Mason’s last day.
Doctors Kiran Joshi and Rachel Rubin, who have both been senior medical officers at the county department since 2014 and members of the medical staff at Stroger Hospital, have agreed to step in and co-lead the department effective immediately, Carey’s statement continued.
“On behalf of the Cook County Health Board of Directors and the staff, I want to personally thank Terry for his years of service to the residents of Cook County,” Carey said in the statement. “He has been a valued member of the executive team and has contributed to our success in recent years.”
Mason was one of the main faces of the county’s response to coronavirus though Joshi and Rubin have been “deeply involved in public health’s response to the coronavirus since the beginning and have my full support and deep gratitude,” Carey said in a statement.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said she has great confidence in Carey as well as the new leadership team but couldn’t comment further as it was a “personnel matter.”
This is a developing story
