MetroSouth Hospital vote delayed

A south suburban hospital will stay open longer than its owners had wanted after they failed to win approval from a state board on Tuesday.

MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island had already told employees the facility would shut down Sept. 30, but it still needed approval from the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board.

Then Monday, People’s Choice Hospital, a hospital management company and potential buyer, sued Quorum Health — parent company of MetroSouth — claiming Quorum engaged in bad-faith negotiation tactics before abruptly ending sale talks in August.

That lawsuit was cited Tuesday during the review board’s monthly meeting at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, and a motion to defer the vote was approved 5-1.

The nine-member board was short three members. One was absent. Two seats are vacant.

The board’s next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 22 — weeks after MetroSouth’s desired closing date. Quorum executives are disappointed and examining their options.

“The hospital continues to experience staffing shortages and mounting, unsustainable financial losses,” said Quorum spokeswoman Amanda Anderson. “Ultimately, we seek to avoid any situation in which we are not able to provide safe patient care.”

The delay wasn’t the only surprise Tuesday. Blue Island Mayor Domingo Vargas, who had fought to keep MetroSouth open, switched sides, asking the board to approve it. He said “multiple discussions” with Quorum led to a deal he called the best option.

Quorum would allow Blue Island to “preserve” the hospital’s license by suspending it and still seek a buyer. If none is found — it isn’t clear how long it would look — Quroum would transfer the property to the city. It was also unclear if the city would pay for the property.

But that hinged on board approval, he said, and “unfortunately, due to the vote to defer today, our agreement with the city to transfer the hospital and help them identify a new operator has been jeopardized,” Anderson said.