OAK PARK, IL (March 7, 2025) — West Suburban Medical Center, a subsidiary of Resilience Healthcare, announced today it will appeal a decision the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) that would terminate accreditation for its residency program on June 30, 2025.
“We look forward to defending our record and showcasing the strength of our residency program during the ACGME appeals process,” said Dr. Manoj Prasad, CEO of West Suburban Medical Center. “We are also reviewing the notification for errors or inaccurate information.”
“While we prepare our appeal, the current residency program will continue. For residents who wish to transfer to another hospital, we will work with them to provide the support they need in a transition. Meantime, we are confident our doctors, nurses and staff will continue to provide the excellent healthcare our patients and the community expect from West Suburban Medical Center,” said Dr. Prasad.
West Suburban also announced it was “shocked and appalled” to learn of a year-long effort
spearheaded by the president of the hospital’s medical staff to sabotage operations and move West Suburban’s family medicine residency program to another institution. A cease-and-desist letter sent yesterday to Dr. Paul Luning by Resilience’s law firm, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplon & Aronoff LLP, documented troubling information about a coordinated campaign designed to “cause trouble” on “as many fronts as possible” to force Dr. Prasad to sell West Suburban.
In addition, the attorneys said they uncovered efforts to communicate with other medical facilities to shop the family medicine residency program Resilience sponsors, to another local healthcare institution. It was also brought to the attorney’s attention Dr. Luning has been advising faculty and program leadership to “quietly” discourage potential residents from coming to the family medicine residency program at West Suburban.
Dr. Luning’s attempts to sabotage West Suburban are a clear violation of his fiduciary duties as President of Medical Staff, according to the letter. Furthermore, intentional interference with West Suburban’s residency program would be considered tortious interference. Resilience also has good cause to believe that Dr. Luning has made untrue and harmful statement to disparage Resilience and its leadership that could be considered defamatory.
The letter to Dr. Luning expresses the hope he will cease the harmful, tortious campaign against Resilience while reserving all of West Suburban’s rights and waives none—up to and including filing a suit for civil damages in state court.
Recent History:
As other hospitals close, shut down departments, lay off large sections of staff and cut hours, West Suburban continues to hire staff and clinicians. In the past year alone, the hospital has added over 200 staff members in various capacities. For patients, this means easier access to services and a better overall experience.
West Suburban is also enhancing service offerings for patients. We now have an experienced group of residency-trained OBGYNs present at all times to deliver babies. For high-risk expectant mothers, this brings potentially lifesaving expertise into the hospital as these providers are trained and experienced in handling such cases. For other new and expectant mothers, the hospital is bringing on additional experienced OBGYNs to provide clinics to further enhance access and the quality of our care. And more broadly, they have developed a multi-specialty clinic with a range of specialists under one roof including a psychological counselor and a diet and nutrition counselor, to provide the comprehensive care our patients deserve.
Finally, West Suburban is bringing in modern equipment to ensure patients receive the highest quality care. In just two years West Suburban has invested millions of dollars in new equipment across every department. From new dialysis machines to dozens of new patient monitors, to dozens of new modern beds and mattresses, new stretchers, wheelchairs, new ultrasound equipment, new imaging and other diagnostic systems, a new computer system, a new Electronic Medical Record System, new operating room power equipment, new warming and comfort equipment for newborns, a new (850 ton) mammoth chiller, new boilers and much more.
“We still have much work to do, but just two years out from narrowly averting catastrophe, West Suburban is moving in the right direction,” said Dr. Prasad. “We’re upgrading, we’re growing, and we’re looking to the future. This institution has served Chicago for more than 110 years. I’m determined that it sees another 110 and that those years be defined not by financial strife and crises but by the quality care we provide and the lives we save.”
About Resilience Healthcare:
Resilience Health is a healthcare management organization operating two safety net community hospitals in the Chicagoland area. It provides high quality, compassionate care to the diverse population in the service areas with its resilient and dedicated team of providers, nurses and support staff with care ranging from newborn to seniors. It prides itself on providing easy access to excellent healthcare to the marginalized communities it serves.
Media Contact:
Christopher Comes
Ripson Group for West Suburban Medical Center
(312) 493-5921 office
(312) 282-0539 mobile
[email protected]