SEIU Healthcare, community activists call for funding to expand hospital ER

Community petition drive kicks off on President Obama’s national Day of Healthcare Service

SEIU Healthcare Illinois-- along with community groups, elected officials and hospital workers-- joined Norwegian American Hospital CEO Michael O’Grady in the call to build a new emergency room to better serve the Humboldt Park community. The June 26th event kicked off a petition drive spearheaded by Action Now and other community in support of funding to build a new, expanded Emergency Room for the Northwest Side community.

As unemployment rises and more families lose their healthcare, more and more people rely on their local safety-net hospital ERs for their primary medical care—and many safety-net hospitals are struggling to meet growing demand.

“As we seek to help every patient that comes though our doors, regardless of their ability to pay, we are literally bursting at the seams,” said O’Grady. “As the number of community residents affected by the economic downturn has increased, so have the number of uninsured coming through our ER doors. A new facility will allow us to better serve the increasing need.”

Norwegian American Hospital is the fourth leading provider of uncompensated care in the Chicago area and has the second highest Medicaid percentage in the state among private non-profit hospitals.

“SEIU is working to ensure that any healthcare reform must provide the necessary resources to support safety net hospitals in their role as the cornerstone of the healthcare delivery system for the newly insured,” Kelleher added. “Yet, safety net hospitals like Norwegian American cannot wait for healthcare reform.

“We must work together to ensure that the safety net hospitals can maintain and upgrade their facilities and operations to better meet the needs of their underserved communities,” Kelleher said.