The ABC7 I-Team was told that some clinics have reopened at the West Suburban Medical Center safety net hospital, but that claim is being met by skepticism from former employees and some Illinois lawmakers.
In a surprise announcement Wednesday, the CEO of a shuttered safety net hospital in Oak Park said some services would be resuming after the hospital closed its doors two weeks ago over severe financial issues and concerns for patient safety. Resilience Healthcare CEO Manoj Prasad told the ABC7 I-Team that some clinics have reopened at West Suburban Medical Center, but that claim is being met by skepticism from former employees and some Illinois lawmakers.
West Suburban Medical Center is a private safety net hospital that served tens of thousands of patients a year, regardless of whether patients could pay for services, and it employed more than 700 people. Prasad announced the hospital was resuming outpatient clinics, testing services, and said the 'general surgery clinic is expected to reopen next week.' 'Staff are returning from furlough to support operations, with additional staff expected to be brought back as patient volume increases,' Prasad said.
But one patient who went to West Suburban for lab work Wednesday said she will likely not return. 'There's no air in there, and it's nasty,' said patient LaTonya Boyette. 'I don't even feel comfortable coming back. It's like a walking infection in there.' West Suburban Medical Staff President Dr. Chidinma Osineme, who led more than 500 providers at the West Suburban facility, said despite some services resuming, she said she remains concerned for patient safety. 'We need new leadership. This is quite confusing, and I am very concerned,' Osineme said. 'At this point, resumption of any form of outpatient services are not reopening the hospital.'
Former West Suburban physician Dr. Vishnu Chundi believes that is playing a role in why some clinical services resumed Wednesday. 'It's a clinic. It's fundamentally like, you don't want to use the euphemism 'doc in the box' but that's it, it's not a hospital,' Chundi said. 'It's basically a reaction, I think, to the eviction notice that was served by the two partners on themselves.'
'To open it back up the day after you get your eviction notice,' Ford told the I-Team, 'So, now you're going to open the hospital back up, saying that you have the resources to operate and ramp up services. This is a dangerous operation with his leadership.' 'This is not a candy store, this is a health center,' Ford said. 'A hospital where people come for emergencies.' SEE ALSO: Illinois departments probing West Suburban hospital's finances after abrupt closure, state rep. says
In the latest Illinois Department of Public Health inspection report from March 6, 2026, obtained by the I-Team through a public records request, inspectors cited serious issues with physician staffing, detailing delays in care that 'has the likelihood of causing serious harm to any critically ill patients in the ICU.'
A spokesperson for the IDPH said state officials were notified of West Suburban Medical Center's plans to resume outpatient services this week. 'Any attempt to reopen must be accompanied by a full and detailed plan to provide for quality care and safety while complying with applicable law,' an IDPH spokesperson said. 'IDPH can confirm that Resilience Healthcare did notify the Health Facilities & Services Review Board this week of their plans to reopen some of their outpatient services. Further details are not available.'
In response to calls from physicians for Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to step in and reopen the facility, his office told the I-Team 'it is outside of the Governor's authority to intervene in the matters of... a privately-owned medical facility.' Illinois Senate President Don Harmon , who represents Oak Park, told the I-Team he remains skeptical. 'My hopefulness is tempered by the cascade of financial and logistical problems that preceded the recent closure,' Harmon said. 'Like so many others who have tried to help along the way, I still have a lot of questions about where all the resources went.'
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West Suburban Hospital West Suburban Medical Center Oak Park Oak Park News Oak Park Hospital Safety Net Hospital Oak Park Il Oak Park Illinois Reddy Rathnakar Patlola Manoj Prasad 18891103
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