Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough hospitalized with "serious medical condition"

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough has been hospitalized with an undisclosed medical condition.

In a statement, Yarbrough's office confirmed she was being treated with a "serious medical condition" but did not provide any further details on the illness.

"Her family is requesting privacy, and we ask for prayers for the Clerk and her family at this difficult time," Yarbrough's office said.

First elected in 2018, she is the first woman and first African American to hold that office, overseeing elections in suburban Cook County and maintaining the county's vital records, such as birth, marriage, civil union, and death certificates.

She previously served as Cook County Recorder of Deeds from December 2012 until 2018. Those two offices merged in 2020.

Yarbrough also was an Illinois state representative from 2001 until 2012, representing parts of the western suburbs.