Union Members Hold Vigil Against Oak Forest Hospital Closure

Members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73 will be joined by community and religious leaders, nurses, doctors, and patients at Oak Forest Hospital at a press conference and prayer vigil Tuesday afternoon to show support against the closure of Oak Forest Hospital.

After the Illinois Health Facilities and Planning board rejected the proposal to shut down inpatient services at Oak Forest Hospital for a third time, the Cook County Health and Hospital System (CCHHS) is still doing everything they can to close the only county hospital in the south suburbs.

The latest CCHHS plan comes in the form of legislation with Senate Bill 40. Amendment 2 in SB 40 would exempt Cook County from having to get permission from the Health Facilities Planning Board to close Oak Forest Hospital.

This amended legislation circumvents the planning board and the public’s right to participate in important health care decisions and disregards the regulatory reasons the planning board gave in refusing Cook County’s closure request. The current legislation, which was passed in the 1970s, was initially introduced to prevent hospitals from only opening in affluent communities. 

Earlier this month, the County issued nearly 200 layoff notices to Local 73 members at Oak Forest Hospital. Those layoffs were to be effective as of this week, but the County halted plans to continue with those layoffs after the Health Facilities Board rejected the proposal to shut down inpatient services.

Press conference & Vigil against closure of Oak Forest Hospital

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

12 p.m. — 1 p.m.

Oak Forest Hospital
Front entrance
15900 S. Cicero

Oak Forest