Dr. Manoj Prasad, the owner of West Suburban Medical Center, got at least one thing right at a press conference last Friday at the Oak Park-based safety net hospital.
The endless procession of owners of this hospital over the past three decades both told the story about a hospital with deep structural issues while simultaneously exacerbating those very issues.
From a proud, community-owned nonprofit hospital since its inception, West Sub has, since the 1990s, suffered through ownership by Loyola Medicine, Resurrection, Tenet, Vanguard, Pipeline and, for the past three years, Resilience Healthcare. One of those outfits, Resurrection, maybe, did build a shiny and essential new ER. The rest have pulled resources from the hospital and utterly failed to invest in its plant or its people.
That brings us to 2025 when West Sub, a safety net serving the West Side as well as Oak Park and River Forest, is on the very brink. Prasad, breaking his long silence, talked first to reporters about the closure last Friday of Weiss Memorial, the other link in Resilience’s sad and broken chain. That Uptown hospital was shuttered after the feds pulled its Medicaid reimbursement agreement.
Then, responding to sharp questions from reporters, he acknowledged that West Sub is surviving hand-to-mouth with spending decisions based on how much cash arrives on a given day. That is a stunning announcement.
While he said he was committed to saving West Sub, he could not offer anything near a plan. State reps Camille Lilly and La Shawn Ford stood gamely at his side talking up the critical role of West Sub in serving the West Side. And while they said they wanted “transparency and accountability” from Prasad, the truth is that he has no history of providing either.
Two final thoughts: There is nothing but pain coming out of the Trump administration when it comes to failing hospitals such as West Sub. And just where is the village of Oak Park in this matter? A trustee finally asked that question at a recent board meeting and received only the vaguest of assurances that the village president and village manager were paying attention. We know village government does not have the resources or connections to fix West Sub. But we do expect them to be active participants in any effort possible to preserve this hospital. So far, crickets.