Blue Island, Ill.-based MetroSouth Medical Center is at a crossroads after its operator declined to renew its agreement. The hospital will either close or find a new operator and become an outpatient center, The Beverly Review reports.
What you should know:
1. MetroSouth Medical Center officials said the hospital would have to close at the end of the year unless it finds a new operator. Officials said the hospital is underutilized and not making enough money.
2. The hospital has been looking for a new operator for two years.
3. If MetroSouth finds a new operator, it's likely it will not continue as a full-service hospital, instead transitioning to an outpatient center.
4. Several operators expressed interest in taking over MetroSouth as a freestanding emergency department or as an outpatient services center.
MetroSouth CEO John Walsh said: "Reuse of this campus as an outpatient center would be a benefit for the community. We are diligently pursuing such an opportunity, but we know the facility will not be able to operate into 2020 as a full-service community hospital."