The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board today approved the sale of two Chicago-area hospitals to Resilience Healthcare, led by healthcare executive Manoj Prasad.
Currently owned by California-based Pipeline Health, the two hospitals serve diverse, at-risk communities. West Suburban is located in Oak Park, and Weiss is located in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. The sale includes West Suburban’s River Forest Campus facilities and Weiss’ medical office building.
Today’s board approval is an important step in an ongoing process for the planned change of ownership. Though the actual date for the change of ownership is not yet set, both Pipeline Health and Resilience Healthcare are eager to finalize the transaction quickly, in the best interests of the two hospitals and the communities they serve.
Both Irene Dumanis, Weiss CEO, and Barbara Martin, West Suburban CEO, are committed to staying in place through the transition, building on recent improvements in quality care and continuing to expand clinical services.
Since taking ownership of the two hospitals in 2019, Pipeline has made significant investment in both facilities — $60 million total. Projects include improved facilities, enhanced technology and expanded clinical programs.
“The two hospitals are in better shape now than when the previous Pipeline leadership team took ownership in 2019,” said Dumanis, citing the new orthopedics unit recently opened at Weiss. “We are ready to move forward at Weiss as we celebrate the hospital’s 70th anniversary this summer.”
Martin expressed gratitude for the Board’s approval of the sale. “These hospitals are essential to our communities, and we are grateful that the Board recognized that,” she said. “Our physicians and staff are eager to continue our tradition of quality, compassionate care for our community.”
Pipeline founder and board member Nick Orzano commented in sworn testimony that the hospitals’ future success is closely tied to the ongoing support of the State of Illinois, the elected officials and community leaders.
“It is clear to me that successful turnaround of these hospitals requires full time boots on the ground local system leadership—which Dr. Prasad can provide,” Orzano said. “At the same time, these hospitals need strong public funding support to thrive—and this public funding can be maximized in Illinois only by an owner whom elected officials embrace.”
Approximately 76 percent of West Suburban’s patients are African American, and more than 80 percent reside in the Austin community of Chicago’s West Side. Weiss is a high Medicaid hospital serving Chicago’s diverse Uptown community on the city’s North Side. The two hospitals have a long history of providing critical health of providing critical healthcare services to the community.
June 7, 2022