The emergency room of Weiss Memorial Hospital in Uptown officially shut its doors Friday morning.
A sign posted on the door of the North Side hospital emergency room at 4646 N. Marine Dr. notified patients of the closure Friday morning.
Weiss is set to lose access to Medicare and Medicaid on Saturday, which makes up the vast majority of the hospital’s revenue.
"[Losing this hospital] removes access for a lot of people in this community,” Weiss ER nurse Daniel Maser told the Sun-Times outside the hospital Friday morning. “Even in the short time that we have been closed to ambulances, we’ve still seen almost a thousand patients that have just walked in to seek care.”
The rest of the hospital has been closed for weeks. The ER was the only department to remain open after Weiss cleared out its inpatient unit back in June when the AC failed.
Friday morning, a few patients came in for regular doctor’s appointments at the hospital’s outpatient clinics, which currently remain open. But the hospital grounds were otherwise quiet. Employees could be seen carrying out equipment and boxes.
The hospital was cut from the federal insurance programs after state investigations found a monthslong pattern of Weiss being in and out of compliance with federal regulators due to issues with its emergency room, air-conditioning system and nursing staff.
Maser said Friday staff have been mourning Weiss closing.
“There’s really been a range of emotions,” Maser said. For “some people it’s panic to find new employment. It’s not a lot of notice to be able to find a new job. Some people are just heartbreaking like myself, and others are really angry just with how things have played out here at Weiss.”
Community members and local elected officials will rally later on Friday to keep the hospital open.
This is a developing story, check back for details.