The Illinois Department of Public Health said July 7 that the decision by West Suburban Medical Center to abruptly shutter its obstetric and neonatal units was “concerning” and said the agency would “be gathering more information about this action to ensure the hospital complies with its obligations under the Hospital Licensing Act.”
A spokesman for IDPH told Austin Weekly News that it was notified on July 3 that West Sub was closing the unit temporarily due to a shortage of nurses. “Even if temporary, this closure is concerning.”
There were reports from multiple sources that several nurses at West Sub were escorted from the hospital last week by security.
Rumors are swirling around West Sub about this decision and its ongoing cooling issues during the recent heat wave. IDPH sent staff to the hospital last week to assess the status of its HVAC.
The hospital’s contracted communications firm told Austin Weekly that it no longer worked for Resilience as of last week. Multiple emails to Dr. Manoj Prasad, CEO of Resilience Healthcare, the parent of West Sub and Weiss Memorial Hospital in Uptown, have gone unanswered.
Labor and delivery services at West Sub have been in flux for months as West Sub separated itself from the long-time maternal services provided by PCC Wellness and midwives. Last November, midwives and family medicine physicians at West Suburban were told they would no longer be able to deliver babies at the hospital with less than a two-week notice.
“To us, it’s access, it’s birth equity, it’s leaving a disenfranchised community in the lurch,” Annette Payot, director of midwifery for the PCC Community Wellness Center, which operated out of West Suburban for over two decades, previously told Austin Weekly News.
Prasad said at the time that those decisions were made for legal and insurance reasons. Prasad has previously said that West Sub had hired a third-party firm OB Hospitalist Group to take over deliveries at the hospital.
There have also been ongoing legal issues between PCC and West Sub over payments reportedly owed. PCC said the amount is $1 million. Prasad previously told Austin Weekly that PCC owes West Sub money. But, he said, he was unsure if he could disclose how much as the litigation is ongoing.
Last May, resident doctors began protesting for a better investment in their education and improved patient safety amid ongoing union negotiations. And earlier this year, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education withdrew West Sub’s accreditation.
