One of the owners of West Suburban Medical Center said on March 27 that discussions are ongoing with a nonprofit health care firm to reopen and stabilize the hospital following its abrupt closure. Reddy Rathnaker Patlola, who owns the hospital property in Oak Park and holds a 40 percent stake in Resilience Healthcare—the company operating the facility—said he is “deeply concerned” about the shutdown and its impact on patients, many of whom are low-income residents from Chicago’s West Side.
The sudden closure of West Suburban has raised concerns about access to care for vulnerable communities. Patlola said in a statement, “The loss of services, particularly with such immediacy, will have a profound and lasting impact on access to care and community health outcomes.” He added that he has been increasingly worried about reductions in services leading up to this point.
Patlola confirmed he is holding talks with leaders at Insight Hospital and Medical Center regarding potential support for reopening West Suburban. These discussions are happening without his business partner Dr. Manoj Prasad, who owns the majority stake in Resilience Healthcare. Prasad did not directly respond to questions but reiterated his team’s commitment: “working around-the-clock” to restore services at West Suburban.
Insight CEO Atif Bawahab stated, “Insight is able to support preserving healthcare services at West Suburban Hospital similar to the role we played in maintaining Mercy Hospital. Our mission is to step into complex situations and maintain continuity of care for the sake of the community.” The Illinois Department of Public Health also commented that their top priority remains ensuring continuity of care during this transition period: “We are actively working with various healthcare providers, community partners, and sister state agencies on a roadmap that will provide residents with a stable and accessible healthcare option during this transitional period.”
West Suburban had already made significant service cuts prior to closing—including ending programs for midwives, family medicine, doctor training as well as shutting down labor and delivery units last summer. The decision came after financial struggles reportedly linked by Prasad to issues with a new electronic medical records system; however, sources indicated problems arose from missed payments on previous systems.
Employees expressed surprise over how quickly events unfolded. One longtime staff member said anonymously: “I don’t think there was a lot of transparency with the ownership… no one saw this coming.” Despite uncertainty ahead, they welcomed Insight’s involvement: “I would love to see that happen… I think the community needs a hospital.”
