Note: This story is the second in a three-part series featuring women leaders in Cook County government.
Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller makes traveling the 6th District part of her regular routine to keep the lines of communication open between local government and the county.
“I sat down with each and every mayor in my district (36 municipalities) prior to coming into office and asked them what do they think about county government. Most of them just see it as something that’s out there, that doesn’t really affect them,” Miller said.

As a county commissioner, Miller finds herself repeatedly telling people, regardless of age or position, how much the county does directly impact them.
“County government is your birth certificate. County government is your marriage license. County government is the property that you buy, sell, pay taxes on. County government can access health care. County government is the courts and the sheriff. So, all of those things you have touched in your life,” she said. “And my district has the third largest area of forest preserves.
“One of things I pledged to do and accomplished was to go to every single community and village. I’ve done it more than once now,” she said. Homewood is one of the communities Miller represents. The district stretches from Dolton on the east, swings south to take in parts of Chicago Heights and Matteson, and then goes north up to Bridgeview. She maintains an office in Oak Forest.
“Once I became a commissioner (in 2018), one of the things I said I wanted to see happen is that I’m very transparent with the community. Whatever I know, you can know. Fortunately, all our meetings are open to the public, but the public isn’t necessarily there. Having that level of transparency means you’ve got to have the public engaged, so we have to do a good job at engaging them.”
Miller’s knowledge of the health care system was the impetus for her seeking the 6th District seat on the county board. She wanted to inform others about the disparities in the hospital system and work toward improvements for her constituents in the South Suburbs. That’s been her driving force, and since taking office in 2018.
Miller’s first piece of legislation centered on cardiovascular disease. Her efforts, begun in 2019, led to every Cook County employee learning CPR and the use of a defibrillator machine. The effort trained “literally hundreds of people,” she said. The effort continues every February to mark American Heart Month.
“Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Illinois, and Cook County in particular has the highest incidence of death due to heart disease in the country. This issue also disproportionately affects Black and brown communities, and it’s been my mission since I took office to draw attention to it and help improve heart health outcomes in the county and beyond,” Miller said.
Miller’s efforts won her an achievement award from the National Association of Counties.
Her most recent initiative was Cook County Health’s first ever doula program announced in December 2024 that will help reduce the stresses of pregnancy. Miller conducted several public hearings on the issue of maternal health.
“I listened, learned and acted. I secured $1 million in funding in the 2024 county budget to make this initiative a reality,” she said. “We want to get a handle on how can we be the largest public health system in the country and what can we do as a hospital system to change the outcomes of maternal health.”
The county doesn’t have a health clinic in the 6th District. While some argue that having a facility on a transportation route makes care accessible, Miller decided to learn how true that was. To get from her home in Lynwood to a clinic in Blue Island took a trip on three buses and more than 90 minutes. To her way of thinking, that doesn’t work, especially when someone is sick.
“That’s not an efficient use of our clinics to meet people where they are. We’re not meeting people where we are,” Miller argues. “My district (covers) 200 miles. You can’t expect someone in Homewood to go to Palos Hills” for medical care. “I always say logistics matter as it relates to what happens in suburban Cook County.”
Related story:
Women Lead the Way: New county commissioner is ready to ‘get things done’ (Feb. 4, 2025).