August 10, 2020
Op-Ed: Parochial politics killed health care transformation on Chicago’s South Side (Chicago Tribune)
Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Bronzeville announced on July 29, 2020, it would close in 2021. It didn’t have to be this way.
In January 2020, Mercy and three other South Side hospitals (Advocate Trinity, South Shore and St. Bernard) announced their intention to form a new health system. Their “South Side Transformation Plan” had a bold vision: to transform health care delivery for the community’s disadvantaged populations.
This project would have: delivered kinder, smarter, holistic and affordable health and health care services to South Side residents. No one deserves this more. With Mercy now closing, transforming South Side health care has just become even more difficult.
Read David Johnson’s full Op-Ed in the Chicago Tribune here.