Resurrection wants to sell
West Suburban and Westlake Hospitals
Now is the time to
make our voices heard!
Resurrection management recently announced that they are starting negotiations on the possible sale of West Suburban and Westlake Hospitals with for-profit Vanguard Health Systems.
In its statement, Resurrection said it would remain committed to employees and the communities surrounding the hospitals. But there are many questions that must be answered. Several state agencies need to review the proposal and assess its impact before the deal moves forward.
By working together, we can make our voices heard during this process. Together, we can work to insure that:
- The quality of patient services is improved
- All services are maintained
- Patients and caregivers come before investor profits
- Employees’ jobs are secure and current wage and benefit levels are maintained
You are invited to a meeting to discuss steps we can take to insure that West Suburban and Westlake patients, employees and community interests are protected.
OPAHA Meeting
When: Monday, January 11th at 7 pm
Where: Austin Boulevard Christian Church
634 N. Austin Blvd, Oak Park, IL
Oak Park/Austin Health Alliance (OPAHA)
A coalition of South Austin Coalition (773/287-4570)
the Oak Park Coalition for Truth and Justice (www.opctj.org)
and HEART/AFSCME (www.reformresurrection.org)
Background
On November 24, 2009, Resurrection Health Care announced plans to sell two of its eight hospitals to Vanguard Health Systems, a for-profit company. Both hospitals, West Suburban Medical Center, in Oak Park, and Westlake Hospital, in Melrose Park, have struggled financially in recent years.
Vanguard owns MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn and Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago, in addition to hospitals in Texas, Arizona and Massachusetts, several of which are unionized. Founded in 1997, the company is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
OPAHA questions:
Same promises, same failures? When Resurrection acquired West Suburban Medical Center in 2004, many residents were hopeful that their community hospital would benefit from promised investments and new management. While RHC did build a new emergency room, most of the changes at West Sub were for the worse – cuts in staffing, reduction in services to the community and no improvement in management (but big improvements in CEO compensation!).
Who pays for the profits? Vanguard is purchasing West Sub and Westlake hospitals in order to make a profit. But these hospitals are currently losing money and Vanguard will have to pay taxes on these hospitals, which means their expenses will be higher. So what would new management do in order to turn a profit at these hospitals? One study found that wages at for-profit hospitals are lower that wages at nonprofit hospitals. And Vanguard has a history of cutting services and closing low-performing hospitals.
Respect for workers’ rights? For more than 6 years, employees at Resurrection have worked to form a union to have a voice at work and improve patient care. RHC management has waged an expensive and aggressive antiunion campaign in response. Vanguard should be held to a higher standard.
What about access and accountability? Non profit hospitals are accountable to state laws related to “charitable trust.” This means they are legally required to operate the hospital in accordance with its charitable mission. In addition, there are also specific requirements for providing and reporting on community benefits. For profits may say they have a “mission,” but they have no legal obligation to conform to it.
We need to work together to get answers!
The Oak Park/Austin Health Alliance was formed by the South Austin Coalition Community Council (SACCC), the Oak Park Coalition for Truth and Justice (OPCTJ) and AFSCME Council 31. Our goals are to make sure that uninsured residents have access to care, that the hospital provides much-needed services to the community, and that workers are allowed to organize without fear of retaliation.
Comments are closed.