Mental Health, Broadband 'Top Priority' For Cook County: Morrison

COOK COUNTY, IL—Cook County officials said mental health services and access to digital broadband are top priorities as the county plans how to spend nearly $1 billion from the federal government.

Commissioner Kevin Morrison and Cook County Budget Director Annette Guzman took questions from residents Friday in a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) session. The questions focused on how Cook County will prioritize money from the federal government to help COVID-19 recovery through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Guzman said the county is reviewing hundreds of proposals before releasing any concrete plans, and urged commenters to give feedback about how the government should spend this money.

"We want to be clear that it will take time to develop plans and ensure we’re using these dollars responsibly," she said.

Morrison said the county is "working hard to develop a spending plan with these funds to increase access to mental health care" and said access to mental health services is a "top priority" for county leaders.

"Too many people in our county are not able to get the help they need – and the pandemic has certainly exacerbated issues around mental health, depression, and substance use," he wrote.

Both Morrison and Guzman emphasized the importance of greater access to digital broadband. Morrison said a quarter of Cook County residents do not have reliable high-speed internet access.

Guzman said county leaders are often asked if ARPA funding can be used to lower property taxes; she said this was not likely, but it is possible ARPA "will keep us from having to raise taxes."