Cook County Commissioner is a public health and mental health advocate

Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer has represented the 2nd District since 2017. Photo provided by Dennis Deer.
Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer has represented the 2nd District since 2017. Photo provided by Dennis Deer.

Cook County Commissioner is a public health and mental health advocate

By Tia Carol Jones
Dennis Deer has been a Cook County Commissioner for the 2nd District since 2017. During that time, he has worked to ensure mental health services are accessible to Cook County residents. He has declared racism and gun violence as a Public Health crises in Cook County.

At 10 years old his life was changed when he witnessed a murder. He suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He made a decision that he would go to college and come back and make positive changes in his West side community. He graduated from Jackson State University and received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary/Special Education. From there, he earned a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Psychology and a Ph. D. in Christian Psychology.

After graduating, he worked with returning citizens who were dealing with mental health and substance abuse issues. Deer began to connect with elected officials to create the Second Chance Act, and was instrumental in crafting the first model of a Cook County program that hired ex-offenders, the Cook County Re-Entry Employment Program.

Deer has been a business owner and came up against roadblocks during that time, so he started a commission within the Cook County government to have business owners give feedback on more effective ways for the County to serve African American and minority small business owners. That became the Cook County Commission on Small Business and Supplier Diversity.

When Deer was re-elected, he was appointed chair of Health and Hospitals. Deer believes social determinants of health – housing, food security, access to healthcare and transportation – along with health inequities led to more Black people dying on COVID-19.

It is Deer’s mission to ensure Black people are able to get their health taken care of. With declaring gun violence a Public Health crisis, Cook County has designated a $1 million fund to specifically deal with gun violence, prevention and intervention.

 Deer also declared Mental Health and lack of Mental Health services a Public Health crisis. This is an area Deer is very passionate about. He is aware that more Mental Health services are needed in Cook County, especially in the wake of COVID-19.
May was Mental Health Month and Thursday, May 19th, was Mental Health Day. Deer didn’t receive counseling for the PTSD from witnessing the murder at the age 10 until he was in college.

Deer is a proponent of Domestic Violence services. Cook County partnered with the Chief Judge and the Cook County Sherriff’s Office to get 24-hour domestic service. Now, people can get orders of protection 24-hours a day and they do not have to wait.

Deer serves on the National Institute of Drug Abuse, part of the National Institute of Health, which supports scientific research on drug use and the consequences. Deer believes there should be a campaign of education surrounding mental health, as well as in the faith community. He wants to roll out the campaign within the next four years.

For more information about Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer, visit www.commissionerdeer.com.

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