Michael Reese Hospital: Another Chicago-Area Hospital Bites the Dust

June 11, 2008

CHICAGO – As another Chicago-area hospital calls it quits, what are the remaining ones doing to keep a solid health care network in the Chicago metropolitan area? What’s happening to major area hospitals as they throw in the towel and scalpel and call it quits due to negative revenues?

The latest to close in Chicago is Michael Reese Hospital due to longstanding financial problems. Some say it’s also because it’s the perfect site for the proposed $1.1 billion Olympic village. Though nothing has been finalized, there’s a lot of talk about what to do with the 37-acre campus south of the McCormick Place complex.

Regardless of all the reasons behind its closure as well as its future development potential, the bottom line is that closing Michael Reese leaves a gap of coverage that may be critical if the surrounding hospitals can’t pick up the slack. An Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board hearing will make the decision on closing it in 2008. Some have encouraged people to contact them with pros, cons or indifferent perspectives.

Some say 2008 is going to be a banner year for urban shootings. Will the closure of a major hospital like Michael Reese affect the emergency and trauma care within the city? Will more lives be lost due to ambulances needing to go further to get to an emergency room? As is predicted on this blog: “It’s going to be a long, hot summer.â€