(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Two weeks after Heartland Alliance Health announced it would be closing due to money problems, a last-minute donation has opened up a new path.
"When they told me they were shutting down, I said 'where will I begin?'" Muheebat Osho said.
Osho has been a patient of Heartland since 2018. So when she heard Heartland wouldn't be closing, she let out a sigh of relief.
"I was amazed. Oh my God, this stress has been lifted off from my heart."
Osho is one of thousands of Chicagoans Heartland can continue to serve, thanks to a "generous" donation from Michigan-based healthcare group One Health.
"It means that we can stabilize our organization, continue to provide care and continue to grow."
Heartland Interim Executive Director Mary Kay Gilbert said the grant puts the nonprofit in an even better place to continue its three food pantries, clinics, and other services, such as psychiatry and substance use treatment.
"The One Health Centers organization is going to be helping us to streamline our operations and our practices so that we ensure that we can be sustainable going forward."
The group's two clinics and three pantries across Chicago were slated to close in a week because of financial issues.
"The possibility of this vital institution closing its doors was not just a loss of jobs, it was a loss of essential service for countless individuals and families who rely on them each and every day,” Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore said.
More said that's why he helped connect Heartland with Michigan-based healthcare group One Health, which he says has provided Heartland with a "generous" donation.
"[I'm] very excited about our partnership because it means that we can stabilize our organization, continue to provide care and continue to grow," Gilbert said.
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