Transforming Healthcare - SIMPCO Solution

Who we are

We combine a rare suite of services including health best practices, community engagement, education and empowerment, with designs on ultimately transforming the nation’s healthcare system.

Our Mission

To implement a transformative, participant-centered, prevention – focused health care organization; that promotes wellness and optimal health through providing participants seamless access to a range of quality programs, services, and information delivered with maximum efficiency and economy.

Core Values

The SIMPCO Executive Team

SIMPCO has assembled the country’s foremost experts in Health and Human Services.

They are innovators who have run systems at the local, county, and state levels. Their combined expertise and experience have been brought to bear in the creation of The Simpco Solution – a truly revolutionary approach to health promotion and prevention that will result in significant reductions in health care costs for the state and greatly improved health outcomes for the participants. Founded by Dr. Jeffrey Sterling, an emergency room physician who has seen, first hand, the results of a system that does not engage individuals BEFORE a healthcare crisis, Simpco is poised to use technology without sacrificing the individualized attention that influences health care decisions. The team philosophy and approach is further informed by veteran behavioral scientists who understand the intersection between culture and health practices.

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President And Chief Executive Officer

Jeffrey E. Sterling, MD, MPH, FACEP

Dr. Jeffrey Sterling is a leader in community-based health care, organizational operations and efficiency. He is President and CEO of Sterling Initiatives (SI), an international healthcare consulting and implementation firm that provides entities with clinical, operational and financial best practices. SI has assisted health systems, health plans, state governments and medical practices in three-dozen states and five continents. Services include international call centers, emergency medicine contract management and telemedicine. Dr. Sterling is owner of SI Medical Supply, an international medical equipment export company, with offices in three states and South Africa. Dr. Sterling is President of 72 Hours Life, a personal and professional lifestyle management initiative that promotes and teaches efficiency as a means of improving quality of life and business productivity. Dr. Sterling is author of the popular daily healthcare blog, ‘Straight, No Chaser,’ and the books Behind the Curtain – A Peek at Life from within the ER, There Are 72 Hours in a Day – Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and Voices and Visions, the Evolution of the Black Experience at Northwestern University.

Additionally,

Dr. Sterling served as President of the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association between 2014-2018, representing over 4800 alumni nationally organized in 29 local chapters. As such he was the cofounder of the first Archive of the Black Experience at Northwestern University, Executive Producer of the documentary The Takeover – The Revolution of the Black Experience at Northwestern University, creator of the NUBAA Achievement Scholarship which in just two years raised over $150,000 in gifts and pledges for Black students, and co-author of the first book on Northwestern’s Black history, titled Voices and Visions: The Evolution of the Black Experience at Northwestern University.
Dr. Sterling founded the Minority Association of Pre-health Students, a national organization of premedical and other health career aspirants with chapters in over 300 colleges nationally.
Dr. Sterling has served as CEO, Senior VP, Corporate Medical Officer, National Physician Practice Director, and Regional Medical Director for various health care contract management groups, and as Medical Director for 17 Emergency Medical System units and Home Health Companies.
Dr. Sterling has served as Chairman and/or Medical Director of the Departments of Emergency Medicine at Level I Trauma Emergency Departments in Metropolitan DC (Prince George’s Hospital Center), Fort Worth (JPS Health Network) and Milwaukee (St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center).
Dr. Sterling founded DFW Urgent Care, a series of award-winning urgent care centers in Texas, New York and California providing quality equivalent, cost-effective care alternatives to hospital ERs.
Dr. Sterling founded the JPS Health Network’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program in Texas and created the first SANE program in the state of Connecticut at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC). Sterling Initiatives prevented the closure of CCMC in 2005.
Dr. Sterling founded US Asthma Care, a series of outcomes based, best-practice Disease Management treatment facilities in Texas and Illinois working with Health Plans to reduce hospitalization and improve clinical outcomes among asthmatics.
Dr. Sterling founded and served as Medical Director of the Covenant Healthcare Asthma Clinics in Milwaukee, then the largest asthma education clinic in Wisconsin.
Dr. Sterling has served on the Board of the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, Texas Chapter and the American Lung Association, Central States Region.
Dr. Sterling served as Chairman of the DFW Minority Business Council’s Health Industry Group, a consortium of over seventy healthcare business enterprises across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. He currently serves in the same capacity for the Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce’s Health Industry Group.

Dr. Sterling has degrees from Northwestern, The Harvard School of Public Health (Health Policy & Management), and the University of Illinois College Of Medicine. He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at Chicago’s Cook County Hospital. He has received executive education from Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business. He is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Sterling is a speaker in high demand on topics of Medicine, Health Care, Public Health, productivity and efficiency, having delivered over one thousand lectures nationally since 2000 and a TedX talk in 2017.

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Chief Community Relations Officer

Carol Adams, PhD

Carol Adams, PhD is the former Secretary of the State of Illinois Department of Human Services. She managed the largest agency in Illinois state government with 14,000 employees and a budget of $6 billion. She also is the past President and CEO of the DuSable Museum of Africa American History, the oldest and longest-running Museum of African American history in the United States. Her extensive connections, relationship with communities throughout Illinois, and expertise bring instant credibility and opportunities for SIMPCO.

Dr. Carol L. Adams is President of Urban Prescriptives, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in program and organizational development for educational, social, cultural and philanthropic institutions. This venture merges the diverse experiences that comprise her remarkable career as an applied sociologist, social activist, and change agent.

Adams has astutely moved from theory to action in several key positions, implementing evidence-based practice and informing practice-based evidence in everyone. Among them: President and CEO of the DuSable Museum of African American History; Secretary of the Department of Human Services for the state of Illinois; Director of Executive Director of the House of Blues Foundation; Director of Resident Services and Programs for the Chicago Housing Authority; Director of Northeastern Illinois University’s Center for Inner City Studies; and Director of African American Studies at Loyola University.

Urban Prescriptives focuses on organizational development in these critical areas: Ideation, Civic Engagement, Social Marketing, Corporate Social Responsibility, Evaluation, and Strategic Planning. Collective Impact and Synergistic Planning models are the primary means through which organizations are advanced to increased innovation and effectiveness. Clients include major universities, museums, governmental agencies, and non-profits.

Adams’ branding campaigns are ubiquitous and include: “Du Something” for the DuSable Museum; “Bring It On Home” for the University of Chicago Obama Library campaign; “I’ve Got Next” for Next Level Health; “Don’t Shoot, I Wanna Grow Up” for Ceasefire; and “Be The Change” for the Chicago Police Department.

Known for her development acumen, Dr. Adams has raised over $400 million for a variety of agencies and institutions, both public and private. She is a thought leader frequently asked to serve as an advisor on public policy and civic engagement by legislators, corporate leaders, and governmental entities throughout the world. Closer to home, she is the founder of the South Shore Works, a movement dedicated to transformational community economic development in her beloved South Shore neighborhood.

Dr. Adams serves on the Board of Directors of the eta Creative Arts Foundation, After School Matters, and the city of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events., among others. Her memberships include the Conference of Minority Public Administrators, Quadrangle Club, the Association of African American Museums, The Chicago Network, Choose Chicago, The Economic Club, the UIC African American Leadership Council, and the American Alliance of Museums.

Among her many awards and honors are the Illinois Arts Council Governor’s Award in the Arts, the Outstanding Humanitarian Award from the NAACP, the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago Leadership in Education Award, Illinois Board of Higher Education Community Service Award and the Tradition Keepers Award from The Chicago Association of Black Storytellers. She’s also been named to Ebony Magazine’s “Power 100 List,” Today’s Chicago Woman’s 100 Women of Influence and Crain’s “Who’s Who in Chicago” List.

Chief Financial Officer

Marlo Kemp, MBA

Marlo Kemp has serviced as Deputy Chief Financial Officer for Cook County Government and Chief Financial Officer for John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County. He has also served as CFO for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, the Village of Hazel Crest, Illinois, and Roseland Community Hospital. At Cook County, he oversaw the budget review process for Cook County’s $3 billion annual budget and reconciled budget requests to funding estimates. His vast experience will guide SIMPCO domestically and internationally.

Mr. Kemp graduated from MIT in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, then relocated to Cincinnati after graduation to work at Procter and Gamble. He subsequently relocated with his wife to Arizona, where he took a position as a Process Engineer at Intel. While with Intel, Mr. Kemp developed a curiosity for finance after a budget discussion wih his department managers. Determined to learn more, he decided to pursue his MBA and explored schools that offered study on weekends. He found that the University of Chicago offered a Weekend MBA program and was recognized nationally as a top business school. Although classes were held in Chicago, Mr. Kemp applied and was accepted. He then commuted round trip between Arizona to Chicago nearly every weekend for three years, culminating with the awarding of his MBA in Analytical Finance and Accounting in 2003.

Following a stint at Capital One, Mr. Kemp returned to Chicago as a Special Assistant to Cook County Board President John H, Stroger, Jr. He was soon promoted to Deputy Chief Financial Officer, where he was responsible for overseeing the $3 billion Executive Budget recommendation and assisting the Chief Financial Officer in running the day-to-day operation of the department. He was then given the additional responsibility of interim Chief Financial Officer of Stroger Hospital, the flagship hospital in the Cook County health care system.

In 2007, Mr. Kemp was appointed as CFO of the Cook County Forest Preserve District. Under his leadership, the fund balance of the District increased from $13 million to $40 million, and the bond rating of the District improved from A to AA. With Mr. Kemp at the financial helm, the District’s budgets received kudos from civic groups and ratings agencies for his stewardship of funds

In 2011 Mr. Kemp was appointed as CFO of the Village of Hazel Crest. Within a month, he became adept enough to perform accounting and payroll functions as the only finance professional in the Village. Through effective budgetary practices, Kemp more than tripled the reserve fund balance in the Village. As a result, the Board appointed Mr. Kemp to the Village Manager position.

After his work in Hazel Crest, Mr. Kemp returned to health care after being offered the CFO position at Roseland Community Hospital on Chicago’s South Side. He currently serves on the boards of several community based non-profit organizations.

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Chief Information and Technical Officer

Arnold R. Crater, MS, MBA, PMP, ITIL, DCIE, DCOM

Arnold Crater has served as Chief Information Officer for Illinois’ Regional Transportation Authority and Director of Worldwide Technical Support for Motorola. In this capacity, Mr. Crater provided IT operations and integration oversight and governance for the six-county region served by the RTA system of public transportation, including the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, and Pace Bus.

A technology leader and seasoned operations professional, Arnold has built an expansive 25-year career, increasing business value through the development and execution of innovative growth initiatives and technology-enabled roadmaps. Broadly experienced across a wide range of verticals, he has an enhanced ability to help organizations enhance operational efficiency, accelerate revenue growth, maximize profitability, and facilitate continuous improvement through alignment of business, technology, and customer operations. With both public and private sector experience, Arnold has a proven capability to manage high-value projects and align diverse teams to strategic objectives. He delivers large-scale contributions to organizations through the introduction of multifaceted strategies, business development plans, and the revolution of current practices and systems. Recognized as a creative problem solver, he has a proven track record of transforming complex business challenges into positive growth. Motivational in his approach, Arnold is an emotionally intelligent leader, bringing together disparate teams, processes, and systems to affect significant growth and turnarounds. Possessing excellent digital leadership capability and a portfolio of business success, he makes an extensive and diverse background, network, and expertise and can communicate stakeholder requirements across all levels of seniority.

Arnold has an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, an MSME & BSME from the University of Illinois, Chicago. I also have PMP, ITIL, DCIE, DCOM certifications. Arnold is also active in the following organizations:

BOARD MEMBER/ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER • i.c.stars
ELECTED BOARD MEMBER • Board of Education for Flossmoor School District 161
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER • Government Technology Forum
MEMBER • Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA)
FORMER SECRETARY • North American Transit CIO Consortium
BOARD PRESIDENT • Ballantrae of Flossmoor Community Home Owners Association
MEMBER • Building Industry Consulting Services International (BICSI)
CHAIR • Southland Citizens Action Committee
MEMBER • Program Management Institute

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Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Niva Lubin-Johnson

Niva Lubin-Johnson, M.D., FACP, an advocate of quality health care for all, especially the underserved and underrepresented, was installed as the 119th President of the National Medical Association (NMA) last year. Dr. Lubin-Johnson has been an active member of the NMA for over 30 years.

Since the founding of the National Medical Association in 1895, Dr. Lubin-Johnson is only the third person, and the first female, to serve as President, Speaker, and Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Dr. Lubin-Johnson received her B.S. Degree in Pharmacy from Creighton University and her medical degree from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, where she was distinguished as a member of the last class to finish within a three-year time frame. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Chicago, and has been in private practice for 28 years in the South Side neighborhood where she grew up and currently resides. She is currently a senior attending physician at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, associate attending at Advocate Trinity Hospital, and a clinical instructor at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Lubin-Johnson is a member of American Medical Association (AMA) and a fellow of the American College of Physicians. In 2010, she was elected to serve on the AMA Minority Affairs Section Governing Council as an at-large member and was re-elected in April 2013. In June 2013, she was elected vice chair and served as chair from June 2014-16. As Chair, she was an Alternate Delegate to the AMA House of Delegates and a member of the AMA/NMA Commission to End Health Care Disparities and its’ Diabetes/Hypertension Committee. In 2009, she was appointed to serve on the Nominating Committee for the Cook County Health System Board, and in 2012 was elected to serve as Secretary and Vice-Chair.

Dr. Lubin-Johnson is the recipient of numerous awards including the Illinois Committee of Concerned Blacks in Higher Education Trustee Award; Midwest Community Council—Nancy B. Jefferson Community Service Award; Dollars and Sense Magazine’s Best and Brightest Women in Medicine; the Kizzy Award—Black Women’s Hall of Fame Foundation; the Student National Medical Association Award for Leadership and Service; and the Top Ladies of Distinction Orchid Award for Outstanding Women in Medicine. Dr. Lubin-Johnson is a proud member of Trinity United Church of Christ, and a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.