Thread: Michael Reese Hospital: Another Chicago-Area Hospital Bites

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€

Carol Plato – director of corporate business services at Mark Memorial Medical Center – points out two cases of illegals racking up more than $1.5 million a piece in hospital care without picking up any of the tab. She also points out that the Florida Health Association says $100 million was spent in 2007 alone to treat illegal patients. That is only one state

If those "two cases" were American citizens, they would be paying that bill for the rest of their lives, perhaps losing everything they own to satisfy that obligation.

Yet illegals can waltz into any hospital (like they own it) and receive virtually any medical treatment they require-free of charge.

I better just stop now before I say something that I might regret later...

Not shown in this article - Average wait time in LA emergency waiting room as of Oct. / 2007 is 10 hours 45 minutes.
After this hospital closes they will move to the next closest hospital forcing that one to close and etc.
Are'nt Sanctuary Policies wonderful ?