MELROSE PARK, ILL (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The mayor of Melrose Park is eager to have his suburb’s hospital reopen – even if it’s just for short-term help with coronavirus.
Westlake Hospital closed last year after a protracted fight between the village and the hospital's owner, Pipeline Health.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he expects Westlake to open at the end of this month to provide 230 beds for patients with COVID-19.
Mayor Ron Serpico doesn’t expect the reopening to bring an influx of new jobs since most of Westlake’s staff found work elsewhere.
He thinks Westlake will operate for six to twelve months but he remains hopeful that it could reopen permanently.
"Hope springs eternal. Maybe if it gets back up and running maybe. There'll be another suitor out there that'll be willing to take it over," Serpico told WBBM.