From the Gery Chico for Chicago Mayor campaign…
(CHICAGO) Mayoral candidate Gery Chico pledged today to make Chicago the capital of modern medicine by making the city home to the American Center for Cures (ACC). View the video of Chico’s press conference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLxpfPH4Glo.
The ACC would be the largest cure center in America. The comprehensive facility dedicated to preventing and curing society’s most prominent diseases would also create tens of thousands of jobs in Chicago.
“Chicago became what it is today because of people who took bold and innovative ideas and made them a reality,” Gery Chico said. “It’s only fitting that something so vital to our future should be right here in Chicago; creating jobs, revitalizing neighborhoods and enhancing our position as a world-class city.”
Chico announced his bold vision alongside a team of doctors, scientists and non-profit leaders who strongly support the ACC.
“This facility will house the greatest minds in the world in healthcare and medical research, all dedicated to the common mission of unlocking the door to discovery and saving lives that should never be lost,” Chico said. “We can cure diseases and it starts with big ideas and big actions.”
Introducing Chico was Dr. Joseph Flaherty, Dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Flaherty praised Chico’s vision and highlighted Chicago’s ideal location and resources.
“Gery Chico is the kind of person who can make a bold and brilliant idea like the American Center for Cures a reality,” Dr. Joseph Flaherty said. “Chicago is the ideal location for this project. We have six outstanding medical centers, dozens of teaching hospitals and are home to the finest universities in the country. I will work with Gery to make sure this happens because we can’t afford to wait any longer.”
Both simple yet ground-breaking in its objective, the American Center for Cures would unite specialists at the forefront of medical research, prevention and treatment. These experts would operate under one roof with clearly defined goals and timetables for preventing and curing targeted diseases. Chico pointed out that almost one in every two Americans have a disease, and for many, the consequences are deeply personal.
“Only a few months ago, I lost my closest friend of 40 years, Rich Kacmarcyk, when he died of prostate cancer,” Chico said. “Like too many people, Rich left behind so many loved ones asking why. All of us have experienced a loss like this, and it doesn’t get any tougher. Today, we are here with answers.”
Chico said that the urgency in bringing the American Center for Cures to Chicago should be self-evident. Not only would the ACC save lives with world-changing advancements in modern medicine, but it would also create tens of thousands of new jobs in Chicago for years to come. Chico urged Chicagoans to contact their Congressmen and Senators and push for the necessary federal funding needed to bring the ACC to Chicago.
“The status quo won’t work,” Chico said. “Washington spends trillions of dollars treating diseases, but can’t solve the real problem of curing them. I am calling on all Chicagoans to join me in the fight to put an end to unnecessary suffering and disease, while strengthening our city at the same time.”
Chico also pointed out that we spend over $235 billion in federal dollars each year on people suffering from diabetes.
“It’s time that the federal government made a commitment to investing in cures and prevention,” added Chico. “We must speak out and demand the urgency and investment that this issue requires.”