For the second time in three years, Oak Park’s West Suburban Medical Center is on track to be sold again, with a new owner promising a new chapter for the medical facility.
On March 10, Michigan-based Resilience Healthcare announced an intention to purchase West Suburban, a safety net hospital, and Chicago’s Louis A. Weiss Hospital for a total of $92 million from Pipeline Health, which acquired the facilities in 2019.
Resilience is led by Manoj Prasad, a health care executive who has worked in health care for nearly 25 years with stops in Michigan, Texas and Florida.
Prasad spoke of leading both hospitals to a brighter financial future in the statement.
“My career turning around hospitals and health care organizations has been based on collaborations with and alignment of the medical staff, nurses, support staff and staff on the front lines at hospitals,” he said. “I listen to them and to our patients and community partners and they see I am willing to roll up my sleeves and work side-by-side with them. We get aligned on the common goals of providing our patients high quality and affordable care and turning around a treasured community asset.”
Two organizations which rate hospital quality, the nonprofit Leapfrog Group and the federal government, have given West Suburban average to good ratings, with Leapfrog awarding it a B grade (on a scale with A as the best) and the federal government giving it three out of five stars.
Prasad is promising to move to the Chicago area to lead both hospitals and believes he can improve their respective financial situations.
One of his initial tasks will be getting state approval for the purchases from the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board.
Roughly 76 percent of West Suburban’s patients are Black with greater than 80 percent of patients living on Chicago’s West Side, according to the statement.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to serve the patients and communities of Oak Park and residents of the West Side as well as Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood and beyond. We’re excited to secure state approval and get to work.”
Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman applauded the intended purchase in an e-mail.
“West Suburban has been a valued resource to Oak Park and the surrounding community for generations,” she wrote. “I believe this is a moment for congratulations to West Suburban leadership and Board for what I believe will be an even stronger partnership focused on providing quality medical services. Mr. Prasad is committed to Oak Park and the greater region.”
The purchase, if approved, concludes the Pipeline era for West Suburban, which took control three years ago.
During that time, former Oak Park Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb was named the chairman of the hospital’s governing board with Barbara Martin hired as CEO.
Pipeline said in the statement the company made $60 million in investments at the two hospitals since 2019 and promises to refund $12 million of the $92 million purchase back to the hospitals for reinvestment.
