HR0395 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0395 LRB096 12880 KXB 26706 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Kenneth C. Robbins, President of the Illinois Hospital Association, on his upcoming retirement after 33 years of service; and

WHEREAS, Ken Robbins has served as President of the Illinois Hospital Association (IHA) since 1983; he has been instrumental in developing public policy and leading the advocacy endeavors of the association for the 200 hospitals and health systems throughout the State of Illinois; he has worked to find common ground among the full range of Illinois hospitals, small, rural, urban, specialty, investor-owned, and academic medical centers; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure as IHA President, spanning the terms of six Illinois governors, he has worked tirelessly to develop strong relationships with legislators of both parties, enhancing the reputation of IHA as a credible, fair, and highly respected source of critical information regarding the health care delivery system and the needs of patients throughout Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Under his leadership, hospitals represented by IHA have strengthened their partnership with the State of Illinois in serving as the foundation of our health care system for all Illinoisans; and

WHEREAS, He has served the State of Illinois as a member of the Illinois Task Force on Health Planning Reform and as a member of the Adequate Health Care Task Force; and

WHEREAS, From 1979 to 1991 he shared his expertise in law and public policy as a lecturer in health law for the Kellogg Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Ken Robbins served with distinction as a member of the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, and Illinois Air National Guard, and retired as Colonel and Chief Judge Advocate General in 1994 after 29 years of dedicated service to Illinois and his country; and

WHEREAS, As IHA President, he serves as chief executive officer of the IHA's subsidiary corporations, Association Venture Corporation, and Illinois Hospital Research and Educational Foundation, and as a Board Member of IHA's Illinois Compensation Trust, Illinois Provider Trust, and Health Care Associates Credit Union; he serves on the State Hospital Association Executives Forum and is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Academy of Hospital Attorneys, the Illinois Association of Hospital Attorneys, the International Hospital Federation, the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Economic Club of Chicago, and the University Club in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Prior to joining the Illinois Hospital Association as its General Counsel in 1976, he was legal counsel for the Committee on Government Regulation of the Massachusetts Legislature and a partner in a Boston law firm; he holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a law degree from Suffolk University Law School, Boston; he and his wife, Eileen, have eleven grandchildren; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Kenneth C. Robbins on his retirement; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Kenneth C. Robbins as a symbol of our respect and esteem.