West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park is temporarily shutting down its patient care amid a yearlong financial crisis, village and hospital officials said.
Walk-in patients were no longer accepted after 4 p.m. Wednesday, and Oak Park Fire Department officials were informed the hospital’s emergency room was no longer accepting ambulances.
According to the statement from the village, approximately 70 patients are working with hospital officials to assess whether they will be discharged or transferred to other healthcare facilities by 5 p.m. Friday. Transportations will be privately handled by privately contracted ambulance services, not by the Oak Park Fire Department, village officials said.
“From an operational standpoint, our immediate priorities are the continuity of care of Oak Park residents and affected patients, as well as the employment status for the many dedicated workers impacted by this suspension,” village manager Kevin J. Jackson said in the statement.
He called the hospital a “long standing Oak Park institution” and a “lifeline for our residents and neighbors across the community.”
“This interruption of services is not easy for anyone to navigate, and the village will do what it can within its purview to minimize disruptions for those affected by the suspension,” Jackson said.
West Suburban Medical Center was one of two hospitals acquired by Resilience Healthcare in 2022, along with Weiss Memorial Hospital, which closed amid financial duress last year.
According to an October Tribune story, West Suburban Medical Center owed $41.6 million in taxes and penalties to the state of Illinois. In August, Resilience Healthcare owner Dr. Manoj Prasad warned at a news conference that West Suburban could face a similar fate as Weiss, saying, “Any hospital can do that, I hate to say, with the environment that has changed.”
The story said the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services was in the process of recouping funds from Weiss, and is “reviewing next steps” when it comes to West Suburban.
Resilience bought the two hospitals in late 2022 from California-based Pipeline Health for $92 million.
As news of the West Suburban Medical Center’s closure spread Wednesday afternoon, Oak Park village President Vicki Scaman called the loss of hospital access “frightening.”
“We recognize that for many in our community, ‘West Sub’ wasn’t just the closest option, it was their only option,” Scaman said in a statement. “The village of Oak Park stands with all of those impacted and we will continue to do everything within our power to support them through this uncertainty.”
chardy@chicagotribune.com
