CHICAGO () — Community advocates say a new ownership agreement could give Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago and West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park a chance to reopen after months of inactivity.
The deal was announced shortly after midnight Thursday, following several hours of private negotiations.
As part of the agreement, Ramco Healthcare Holdings acquired Resilience Healthcare, while Insight Health Systems is expected to assume control of both facilities.
Insight already runs a hospital in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood.
The ownership change represents the latest turn in a prolonged effort to restore two critical safety-net hospitals serving patients on Chicago’s North and west sides.
Weiss Memorial has been closed since August, while West Suburban Medical Center stopped operating in March.
Together, the hospitals treated thousands of patients each year, including many who lacked the ability to pay for medical care, and provided jobs for hundreds of employees.
The shutdowns triggered months of legal disputes, including accusations of poor management and the improper use of state funding.
The hospitals’ chief executive previously said a breakdown in the billing system contributed to the financial and operational crisis.
A Cook County judge said last week that he intended to appoint an independent receiver to oversee the hospitals on a temporary basis. Advocates said the ownership agreement could settle the case and eliminate the need for court-appointed control.
Community leaders praised the agreement while cautioning that the broader fight to restore hospital services is far from over.
“This fight, though it was big, there’s a bigger picture ahead. And our communities need these hospitals. Safety-net hospitals, Medicare, Medicaid, Black and brown communities, people that work for minimum wage, those are the people that go to these hospitals,” said Rev. Robin Hood.
Although advocates described the agreement as an important breakthrough, they stressed that reopening either hospital is not expected immediately. They hope to create a publicly available schedule for the transition and ensure that each party is held responsible for meeting its commitments.
