REOPEN
WEST SUBURBAN
HOSPITAL
A community of 200,000 residents deserves a hospital. West Suburban's doors must reopen — for emergency care, for continuity of care, for the families and workers who depend on it every single day.
200,000+
Residents Without a Local Hospital
7+ min
Increase in Average EMS Response Time
1,800+
Healthcare Jobs Lost
$250M+
Annual Economic Impact to the Region
The Case for
Reopening
The closure of West Suburban Hospital was not just the loss of a building — it was the loss of a lifeline. Here is why reopening is not optional.
Emergency Care Desert
The closure of West Suburban created a critical emergency care gap across Austin, Oak Park, Berwyn, Cicero, and Maywood. Residents now face significantly longer transport times to the nearest emergency department — a difference that can be fatal in cardiac events, strokes, and trauma cases.
Continuity of Care Disrupted
Thousands of patients with chronic conditions — diabetes, heart disease, cancer — lost their established care teams overnight. Many are uninsured or on Medicaid, making it harder to re-establish care at distant facilities. The health consequences of this disruption are already being felt.
Vulnerable Populations Left Behind
West Suburban served one of the most diverse and economically challenged patient populations in the Chicago metro area. Seniors without transportation, low-income families, and non-English-speaking residents face the greatest barriers to accessing care at alternative facilities.
Workforce & Economic Damage
The closure eliminated over 1,800 healthcare jobs — nurses, physicians, technicians, and support staff who lived and spent in the local economy. Surrounding businesses, pharmacies, and service providers have all felt the ripple effects of losing the region's largest employer.
Regional Healthcare Capacity Strained
Neighboring hospitals — Rush Oak Park, Loyola, and others — have absorbed a surge in patients they were not staffed or resourced to handle. Wait times have increased, capacity is strained, and the quality of care across the entire region has been compromised.
The Facility Can Be Saved
West Suburban's physical infrastructure remains intact. The building, equipment, and systems represent a significant capital asset that, with the right operator and financial structure, can be restored to full operation. Reopening is not just possible — it is the most responsible path forward.
Every Minute
Counts in a cardiac event, stroke, or trauma — longer transport times cost lives
An Emergency
Care Desert
Before West Suburban closed, it was the primary emergency care destination for hundreds of thousands of residents across the west and northwest sides of Chicago and the inner-ring suburbs. Its emergency department handled tens of thousands of visits annually.
Today, those same residents must travel significantly farther for emergency care. EMS response times have increased. Neighboring emergency departments are overwhelmed. And the most vulnerable patients — those without transportation, those with limited English, those on Medicaid — are the ones paying the highest price.
This is a public health emergency. And it demands an urgent response.
Communities Without
a Hospital
And surrounding communities across Cook County
A Path to
Reopening
Reopening West Suburban is complex — but it is achievable. Here is the framework the coalition is advancing.
Secure a Qualified Operator
Identify and engage a mission-aligned healthcare operator — nonprofit health system, community health network, or public-private partnership — with the capacity and commitment to restore full services.
Establish Financing & Capital Structure
Pursue a combination of public funding, philanthropic investment, federal healthcare grants, and private capital to fund facility restoration, staffing, and operational launch.
Community & Regulatory Engagement
Work with state and local regulators, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and community stakeholders to navigate licensing, certification, and operational approvals.
Phased Service Restoration
Reopen with priority services first — emergency care, primary care, and obstetrics — then expand to full-service operations as staffing and resources allow.
"The facility is there.
The community is there.
The need has never been greater."
— Coalition to Save West Suburban Hospital
Help Us
Reopen the Doors
Every signature, every voice, every dollar brings us closer to the day West Suburban Hospital reopens its doors to the community it serves.