By Doug Cunningham

The Chicago Federation of Labor, AFSCME and the California Nurses Association rallied on Monday to protest Cook County health care budget cuts that the nurses say will close 16 clinics in Chicago. Two thousand union nurses working for the Cook County Bureau of Health Services say the budget cuts endanger public health, especially the most vulnerable who depend on the county health system. The nurses say senior citizens will suffer from the cuts because 200 long-term care beds will be eliminated. Before the county cuts vital services, the nurses say, county government around Chicago must end waste and political patronage jobs.