Brentwood, Tenn.-based Quorum Health is seeking approval to close MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, Ill. If the hospital closes, more than 800 employees will lose their jobs.
Quorum announced in June that it filed an application with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board to close the 314-bed hospital. Employees received letters last month informing them MetroSouth Medical Center would close Sept. 30. However, Quorum said it will not begin winding down operations at the hospital until the state review board approves the application. Members of the review board are scheduled to vote on the application Sept. 17.
A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice filed last month states MetroSouth Medical Center will lay off 814 employees when it closes. The WARN notice says employees will be laid off on Oct. 1. The letters sent to employees in August indicated they would receive paychecks until the end of October, according to ABC7 Chicago.
Quorum Health's decision to close MetroSouth Medical Center has drawn mixed reviews. There are several letters opposing the closure available on the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board's website. The CEOs of seven Illinois hospitals owned or operated by Quorum signed a letter supporting the plan to close MetroSouth.
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