#2 On November 12, 2019, after an extensive heated debate, the Blue Island City Council voted 10-to-3 in favor of investigating Mayor Domingo Vargas about the questionable purchase of two Chevy Tahoes last year. Vargas allegedly reimbursed the city; however, more questions remain.
Do you think the matter should be pursued despite the cost of the investigation? Why or why not?
On Friday evening, September 20th, during the 7:00 hour, MetroSouth Hospital dropped another bomb. I just came from a business meeting with a friend and we were traveling down Gregory street. While approaching MetroSouth, I mentioned that after my dental visit, I drove past the back of the hospital on Tuesday, the 17th, to check out the parking lots. There were still plenty of vehicles in the surrounding lots. You would never know anything was wrong, however, I heard from others who had recently been serviced by MetroSouth, that the inside was “noticeably void of people.”
My friend drove into the Emergency Room entrance into the lower parking lot. We just sat there for awhile looking at the ER entrance door and taking in what could be the final weeks. An ambulance pulled up in front of us. EMT workers went inside, wheeled a patient out on a gurney, and placed him in the ambulance. As we sat there, the feeling was dismal. I sure as hell was not expecting what was to come next.
There were three men with a ladder. One was holding it steady, another was tearing off large silver pieces of tape and handing it to the man on top who was covering the words “Emergency Room.” I said, “Oh no, look what they’re doing, they’re closing it down!” We watched in awe and my friend finally said, “This is MetroSouth’s last gasp of life.” It seemed like a rather oxymoronic statement considering an emergency room saves lives. Apparently, the owner, Quorum Health, likely has a Do Not Resuscitate order as well.
It was just stunning and upsetting to say the least. My friend walked up a little, whipped out his cell phone, and took pictures. Unbeknownst to us, as we were about to leave, we noticed that cones had been set up where we drove in. We think we were the last car to drive through followed by the last ambulance.
The whole time we were sitting there, I could feel the memory of bringing my mom to this emergency room one night. It was over ten years ago, back when St. Francis owned it. Oftentimes when someone needs to go to an emergency room, the person may be in some state of shock. The feeling can be surreal and that’s just what it felt like to observe this moment of history in the making.
I’ve been writing about this subject matter since July and felt like I was somewhat on auto-pilot. On one hand, you feel like you want to help change an outcome but you don’t have the power, yet, many feel that this is all pre-ordained and we are merely players on a stage. When I got home shortly after seeing this sad scene, I finally started crying. It wasn’t just about the connection with my mom, but I wondered about the patient on the gurney and where he was transported. How many others?
To ensure that this was not just a temporary situation of blocking the entrance, I drove around their block the next day. The cones were still there. Every single sign had the silver tape blocking the Emergency Department signage. Interesting how they started this shortly after the 7:00 hour the night before, just as darkness fell.
On Saturday afternoon, September 21st, the village of Calumet Park sent out a message from their Code Red system announcing that “MetroSouth has cancelled all emergency room operations. They will no longer accept patients by ambulance or walk-ins. The Calumet Park Fire Department has prepared for this situation and will transfer you or your loved one to the closest appropriate hospital. In most cases, this would be Ingalls Hospital in Harvey. Please do not seek medical attention at MetroSouth because you will be turned away by hospital security.”
Of all the departments of a hospital, the emergency room is literally the most critical. This was the one major department that everyone was trying and hoping to save. We can understand downsizing the hospital beds, eliminating other departments, etc., but the emergency room? Wow. I would’ve thought that would have been the last leg standing. Instead of falling from the top to the bottom like the Twin Towers, they have removed the foundation. Meanwhile, the legal battle continues.
On July 23rd, Calumet Park Mayor Ronald Denson hosted a meeting for the public about the impending closure of Blue Island’s MetroSouth hospital. The crowd gathered outside the village hall at 124th & Throop street, with Throop street closed down. Mayor Denson asked how many people here have used MetroSouth’s services. Many hands went up including mine. He spoke of the consequences for residents with the bottom line that people will die by not getting to the hospital soon enough.
There was only one comical moment when State Rep. Robert Rita showed up late and announced that he couldn’t find a parking space. The chuckles broke up the tension and concern that everyone felt, but things quickly got serious again. Rep. Rita said he and other officials were given very little notice about the closing before the news went public. He said it was unacceptable, especially since MetroSouth officials made promises about investing in the community. The owner, Quorum Health, is from Tennessee and Rita said they have no idea how this will affect our community.
Cal-Comm director, Gerard Corrigan, spoke of how much crucial equipment was set up on top of the hospital. Fire Chief, James Ross, stunned the audience with a report of ambulance transportation times:
From Calumet Park to MetroSouth – 2 minutes
Ingalls (Harvey) – 12 minutes
Roseland (Chicago) – 14 minutes
Little Company of Mary (Evergreen Park) – 16 minutes
Christ (Oak Lawn) – 20 minutes
Palos Community (Palos Heights) – 30 minutes
Mayor Denson wants to buy time by keeping the doors open long enough to exhaust every option. Rep. Rita invited everyone to attend the following day’s meeting at St. Benedict in Blue Island to share their own story of how they will be impacted of the closure.
No one wants a hospital to close. We’re all holding out hope that someone will buy the hospital despite a pending vote on September 17th to close. However, any prospective owner will inherit the same issues that MetroSouth inherited from St. Francis Hospital. The Daily Southtown reported (August 21) that MetroSouth officials will need to accelerate their plan to close the hospital by September 30th instead of the previous date of November 1st. The clock is ticking faster and louder.
Comments are open to this article (and previous one in ChicagoLand) and one opinion poll (see Chime In). We should keep discussing this because a new buyer will need to clean up the mess and that includes listening to the communities it serves. Below is a sign that Cal-Parkers are sharing to sign a petition at the village website.
A few years ago, I went to the Oak Forest hospital for a free TB test as a requirement to work in home healthcare. Upon telling the officer at the gate why I was there, I was directed where to park and to enter a door on the north side. Once inside, there was an extremely long corridor and NOBODY was in sight. The corridor was like two blocks long.
As I quietly walked along, I passed one nurse’s station after another on the left and empty stretchers and wheelchairs on the right. There was complete silence. (If these walls could talk.) The eeriest part were the clocks on the wall. Every clock at each nurse’s station was stopped at a different time. 11 minutes after 2:00 … 40 minutes after 6:00 … It would never be known if the clocks stopped in the day or night. Each clock likely continued ticking after the employees and patients moved out and were pronounced dead in their own time.
Finally, I heard the ding of an elevator. I thought of ducking behind a partitioned wall but just stood there looking at the elevator. A lady in burgundy scrubs stepped out and was startled to see me. I told her this place would be a great scene for a horror movie. She agreed and said it was very spooky working there and directed me where to go. It was such a shame that a place that once served a purpose and gleamed with life, now sat empty. Such is the threat with MetroSouth.
The Daily Southtown reported last month that MetroSouth operators said “that years of decreasing patient volumes, increasing market saturation, reduced insurance reimbursement and ongoing operational losses” contributed to the hospital’s decision to likely close unless finding a buyer. The concern here is that officials have known for a couple years of the peril and have spoken to “nearly 40 healthcare organizations but none were willing to operate MetroSouth as a full-service community hospital (hold that thought).” By the time the public gets notice, everyone is in a scrambling state of mayday.
The latter two cited reasons I understand firsthand from working in healthcare. First, regarding “reduced insurance reimbursement,” Medicare and Medicaid allow patients to get care upfront (services and drugs), but it takes a long time for the service provider to get reimbursed from the government. Meanwhile, the service provider has to pay monthly expenses and it’s like trying to fill a bucket with a hole in it. The government may also only reimburse a lesser amount than the actual cost of the service.
Second, “ongoing operational losses,” is something that is more likely in a hospital because of the 24/7 operation. It’s harder to run a tight ship with hundreds of employees. Years ago, I worked at MetroSouth for a short period of time and found some practices disturbing. We’re talking thousands of dollars wasted on a monthly basis. These practices would obviously catch up with them. I was not there long enough to request help. Proper training and all three shifts working closer together could have helped reduce this loss.
Let’s think about why there are “decreased patients.” Nowadays, there is a lot of emphasis on preventative care, especially with all the cancer screenings, etc. Before drug stores offered flu shots, I had to make an appointment with a doctor. Advances in equipment have allowed many outpatient services. Urgent care facilities have lightened the load of emergency rooms. Maintenance medicine has kept people out of hospitals and increased lifespan. Has all this contributed to hospitals possibly becoming obsolete? Instead of being a double-edged sword, maybe we should go with the natural flow. We may need to consider repurposing the hospital instead of just closing it, which would leave an all-or-nothing result.
Apparently, there is a problem with MetroSouth having 314 beds that they can’t fill. Well, do we want an epidemic just to fill the beds with sick people? Why can’t the number of hospital beds be downsized to accommodate the actual need? Instead of eliminating a full-service hospital, what does the hospital have that is still serving a purpose? The Daily Southtown reported that MetroSouth’s outpatient center is being diligently pursued.
Since patients are spending less time hospitalized and living longer, where will all of these aging folks live? A hospital offers a skeletal framework that can accommodate BOTH an independent living facility, as well as an assisted living one. Assisted living facilities need a medical staff (that is already there). Seniors are vulnerable to broken bones, joint replacements, etc., and often need physical therapy. A rehabilitation facility is already there. Ambulances make frequent trips to senior-living facilities, and again, medical staff is already there.
MetroSouth also has a built-in cafeteria, a fitness center, an outdoor garden/refuge space. Why can’t some sections be consolidated for certain purposes while renting out space for the growing senior population? According to Crowe LLP Healthcare, “If hospitals want to remain vital to their communities, they must change. Repurposing is always expensive. The question they have to ask themselves is can they afford not to (Modern Healthcare, 2015).” Remember, 40 healthcare organizations were unwilling to operate MetroSouth as a full-service community hospital. What about a partial-service one combined with something else? A training or educational facility is also a possibility especially with Moraine Valley nearby.
Hospitals closing is not just here in Illinois. In October, 2017, the Harvard Business Review reported that since the beginning of 2016, the financial performance of hospitals and health systems in the United States has significantly worsened. “The root cause is twofold: a mismatch between organizations’ strategies and actual market demand, and a lack of operational discipline.” Again, I’m thinking of the preventable waste that I witnessed.
Blue Island obviously stands to lose a lot here, but what about the surrounding communities? Calumet Park Mayor Ronald Denson said he was surprised by the lack of notice or engagement prior to the announcement, given area residents’ reliance on MetroSouth for a variety of health services and the critical role of MetroSouth in Calumet Park’s emergency management plans. “Although all impacts haven’t been defined, given the sudden notice, the closure would certainly affect fire and police department operations and require revisions of emergency management plans for area municipalities.”
Mayor Denson further stated that he has actively engaged with municipalities in the area that will be impacted by the closure, as well as elected officials representing the area, since the notice was received. “In particular, I have been in close contact with leadership for the municipalities served by the Cal-Comm 911 Center to discuss shared concerns and assess impacts of this sudden development.”
The Village of Calumet Park is hosting a press conference, Tuesday, July 23, 11:00 a.m., at the Village Hall (12409 S. Throop St.) for residents and officials of all communities affected by the abrupt closure of MetroSouth. All are encouraged to attend.
The above article was submitted to the FORUM on July 15, 2019, and published for their July issue.
#1 In June, MetroSouth Hospital in Blue Island suddenly announced plans to close by the end of the year if a buyer isn’t found. The CEO stated in the Chicago Sun Times (07-25-19) that “More patients are choosing to leave the community for care and as a result, the hospital is losing millions of dollars a year.”
What experiences have you (or anyone you know) had that would attribute to not seeking care at MetroSouth? Do you have positive experiences to share or other comments?