Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek Scheduled to Accept Award from Scam Artist

This evening, Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek is scheduled to receive a “HERO” award from controversial Latino activist Margaret Carrasco.

Carrasco was found to have deceived multiple immigration clients by falsely giving the impression she was an attorney. Former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan even sued Carrasco for her fraudulent activities. The courts have found that Carrasco had misrepresented herself, and she was ordered to pay restitution and banned from providing legal advice.

Coroner Banek, a self-proclaimed whistleblower who is receiving an award from Carrasco, sent information to the Illinois Department of Public Health, resulting in Vista Medical Center East losing its trauma status. Vista was bought by American Healthcare Systems in 2023 after the previous operator reported the hospital was over $15 million in debt.

Banek, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesiologist, worked at Vista Medical Center East until her letter to the Illinois Department of Public Health reached Vista’s new owners, American Healthcare Systems, a California-based company. Vista officials removed Banek as a contractor at the hospital.

Banek says that her status as a contractor at the hospital was based on her being a “whistleblower,” but internal documents from American Healthcare Systems listed other reasons for her dismissal. They included that “multiple physicians have expressed their extreme discomfort in working alongside and depending on the services of Mrs. Banek” and “Multiple physicians, who work tirelessly to provide exceptional and safe care, feel disrespected by the false and slanderous claims made by Mrs. Banek.”

Only time will tell what the future of Vista Medical Center East will be and if it will regain its trauma status, which was purportedly lost because of the letter Banek sent to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

In the meantime, Banek has been blasted by other public officials, including State Representative Rita Mayfield, who accused Banek of retribution against the hospital and singlehandedly shutting down the trauma center in a majority-minority region of Lake County, which already has deficits in quality healthcare. Meanwhile, others have applauded Banek’s bravery in calling out a hospital, which all Waukeganites know has been in deep trouble for years.

The event is scheduled for February 22 at 5 PM at Milan Banquet Hall.