Roseland Community Hospital on Chicago’s South Side is planning to close its Adolescent Behavioral Health Unit, and that’s not sitting well with some people. But the hospital’s CEO says: Stay tuned.
Roseland employees were joined by Bishop Charles Mickens, of Lights of Zion Ministries on a Zoom call Friday. They agreed that adolescent mental health services are needed now more than ever.
"To close the unit would be immoral in the best of times," Mickens said. “In the midst of a pandemic it’s unconscionable."
Roseland CEO Tim Egan says the hospital has lost $200,000 a month in funding. The adolescent unit, as is, isn’t working, he said.
Most patients in the unit, he says, are wards of the state and are confined to the second floor.
"Can you imagine if you're a DCFS kid and you're in that unit and you're up there for 90 days? You haven't been able to run around, you have not been able to exercise, you haven't gotten a breath of fresh air. That does not promote sustainable healing."
Egan said he's “1,000 percent dedicated to re-launching the unit" in a format that will be successful.
He said there’s grant money available but is not giving a timeline.
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