Insight Hospital and Medical Center Chicago, 2525 S. Michigan Ave., in June celebrated its first anniversary since its parent company acquired the former Mercy Hospital.
Insight, a Flint, MI-based biomedical company, purchased the hospital from its previous owner, Trinity Heath, for $1. The hospital serves several South Side neighborhoods, including Bronzeville and Chinatown.
Immediately upon taking over the hospital, Insight transitioned into developing its emergency department’s needed support services, including radiology, lab, and pharmacy.
The new owners pledged to keep the facility open at least through 2029 and restore medical services that Near South Side neighborhoods have not had in years. Insight also pledged to create annual, publicly available capital budgets, restore or increase charity care, and report periodically on the hospital’s progress.
The agreement addressed community leaders’ concerns that Insight would close the hospital or pare down its operations instead of keeping it as a comprehensive facility that treats some of Chicago’s poorest and sickest patients.
Fifth District State Representative Lamont Robinson was at the forefront of this fight on behalf of the community’s hospital for almost a year before Insight took over. “Where would the residents on the South Side go, particularly in the Bronzeville community and those on Medicaid?” without the hospital, Robinson asked.
Since Insight took over, “the hospital has been able to stabilize and expand its lines of service to include family medicine, primary care, behavioral health, physical therapy, radiology, oncology, emergency services, intensive care, same-day outpatient surgery, pharmacy services, and our women’s health clinic,” said hospital spokesperson Paul Stewart.
Stewart also noted that, since April, ambulances have resumed bringing patients to Insight’s ER after the State of Illinois gave the hospital a comprehensive emergency department designation.
Insight has strengthened its neighborhood presence via several local events and forums over the past year, including hosting a community health fair at the hospital this past June. “We have also participated as a sponsor in community events hosted by State Senator Mattie Hunter, the Chicago Housing Authority, the Chicago Health Equity Coalition, and Brightstar Community Church,” said Stewart.
In the short term, Insight plans to continue increasing the hospital’s lines of service. “We are working on a comprehensive feasibility study to address capital improvements to the hospital to ensure the immediate and longterm operation of the current hospital facility,” Stewart said. “We are also working closely with our community partners to determine the future healthcare delivery needs of our patients and neighbors in Bronzeville and the surrounding communities the hospital serves.”
Insight Hospital & Medical Center Chicago can be reached at (312) 567-2000 or www.insightchicago.com. For more information about 5th District Representative Lamont Robinson, go to www.lamontjrobinson.com.
—Eva Hofmann