Concern has grown that people needing emergency trauma care in Chicago’s northern suburbs may encounter delays in getting treatment.
The Illinois Department of Public Health revoked Vista Medical Center East’s designation as a trauma center, limiting its ability to treat certain serious injuries. Patients in or near Waukegan may need to travel a half-hour or more, to as far away as Libertyville or Lake Forest, for treatment.
Waukegan residents pushed for answers at a town hall Friday after IDPH announced it would revoke Vista’s Level II trauma designation. The move means the hospital can no longer provide that level of care to patients with certain serious injuries.
“Access to regular care is not available and those patients that will be needing Level II trauma care will have to be transported to other facilities,” Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek explained.
Illinois Sen. Adriane Johnson, a Democrat who represents the area, said offering such services is a must.
“It ensures that you get that 24/7 lifesaving care,” she said.
IDPH cited a lack of anesthesiologists at the hospital and in a statement said it was “disappointed by the lack of clear communication from hospital leadership.”
In July, NBC Chicago reported the hospital faced foreclosure proceedings for $2 million in back taxes owed to Lake County. Johnson said she and other lawmakers are working on a solution to keep the hospital from closing its doors entirely, including finding new owners.
“If the hospital closes, Waukegan will be the largest city in the state of Illinois without a hospital,” Johnson said.
Ambulances in Waukegan will now have to transport victims to either Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital or Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
“We don’t even want to talk about how many people there are at Lake Forest hospital, and they’re overworked,” one resident said at Friday’s town hall.
In a statement, Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham said it is “unacceptable to face disruptions in critical care,” but the city will put more ambulances into service to help meet the demand.
“Our residents deserve a hospital that provides safe, quality care that’s on par with all the other hospitals in the area,” Johnson said.
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