Two major Chicago public institutions — Cook County Health and the University of Illinois College of Medicine — are expanding their partnership to provide care to patients, more training for medical students and more research opportunities, they announced Tuesday.

“This work is not simply about efficiency and cost saving, though those two are vital in our challenging items,” Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, said at a news conference. “It’s about something more fundamental. … It’s about ensuring that every person in every community has access to high-quality affordable and equitable care.”

As part of the partnership, Cook County Health and UI Health will work together across more than 16 specialties when it comes to patient care. Patients may be refer

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