Pipeline Health Begins Process to Close Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park

CHICAGO, Feb. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Pipeline Health, a community-based hospital management company, announced today that it has begun the process to close Westlake Hospital, a 230-bed hospital in Melrose Park, and plans to file an application next week with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board to discontinue service. If approved, the discontinuation will occur in the second quarter of 2019.

"We are committed to providing area residents with access to quality, affordable healthcare by rethinking how and where it is delivered. In order to build a strong and sustainable community-based healthcare system, we made the difficult, but necessary decision to seek state approval to close Westlake and consolidate in-patient services with West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park. We're working closely with local leaders and elected officials on innovative solutions to ensure the community gets the personalized, accessible care they need," said Jim Edwards, CEO of Pipeline Health.

Pipeline Health officially acquired the cash-strapped hospital from Tenet Healthcare on Jan. 29, along with West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park and Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago. The competitive healthcare environment in Illinois along with a decrease in patient demand and the rapidly changing role of hospitals in healthcare delivery have resulted in an unstainable financial strain on Westlake for many years.

In-patient services such as obstetrics and gynecology, surgery and intensive care offered at Westlake will be consolidated with nearby West Suburban Medical Center, four miles east of Westlake. Qualified Westlake employees will be invited to apply for positions at West Suburban or Weiss Memorial. A community shuttle between Melrose Park and West Suburban Medical Center is also in the works.

"West Suburban serves an extremely diverse patient population with many social and healthcare challenges. We're proud of the high-quality care we provide, and the robust community outreach services we offer—many of them for free. We look forward to consolidating the strengths of Westlake with ours, expanding services and welcoming the Melrose Park community," said Joe Ottolino, CEO of West Suburban.

The PCC Wellness Center will remain open, and Pipeline is exploring additional options to keep higher-demand immediate care and outpatient services available nearby to the community.

West Suburban has earned an "A" rating for patient safety for six of the past seven years from the nonprofit Leapfrog Group, which surveys hospitals for performance in safety, maternity care and more, and a CMS 4-star rating in 2018. It also is home to the state's second oldest residency program and a cutting-edge birthing center. It is one of the top non-trauma center hospitals in the area for treating gunshot victims and has a well-regarded opioid treatment facility.

By combining the strengths of Westlake with West Suburban, "We will create a stronger, more financially stable hospital that will continue to offer world class, quality care and better serve the area's diverse residents today, tomorrow and for years to come," said Edwards.

For more information, visit Pipelinehealth.us

Pipeline Health LLC
Pipeline Health is a privately-held company based in Los Angeles. The principals of Pipeline Health have more than 250 years of collective experience in clinical medicine, finance, hospital operations and acquisitions, and successfully manage several thriving community-based hospitals in Southern California and one in Dallas. The hospital management group is committed to personalized care, reflective of the communities they serve. For more information visit Pipelinehealth.us.

SOURCE Pipeline Health