Investment in new equipment, facilities upgrades, expanded clinical programs and enhanced community engagement are among the highlights of West Suburban Medical Center’s impact in the local community in 2021.
Published this week and posted online, West Suburban’s 2021 Community Impact Report describes key accomplishments of the past year – all achieved while the hospital faced the challenges of the ongoing pandemic.
In a message published in the report, West Suburban’s Governing Board Chair Anan Abu-Taleb says that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges to the hospital and to hospitals across the country.
“In our Chicago-area community, I am proud that West Suburban Medical Center not only remained open to care for patients, but also made progress in important revitalization programs to enhance patient care going forward,” he writes.
Among the highlights of the past year, West Suburban:
- acquired two state-of-the-art 3D tomography mammogram units for the River Forest Campus and robotic technology to perform minimally invasive surgeries.
- achieved recognition as a Stroke Center of Excellence and as a Bariatric Center of Excellence, performing more than 250 bariatric cases annually.
- partnered with the University of Illinois, Chicago/ UI Health for Neurosurgery Services and Stroke/Tele-stroke Program.
- achieved Senior-Friendly Emergency Department Certification.
Community engagement activities in the last year included: a Community Open House to educate women about advanced mammogram services; a “Think Pink” breast cancer awareness event with free mammograms; a prostate cancer awareness event with free PSA tests for men; and a back-to-school event hosted on campus and sponsored by the West Side Pastors’ Coalition for AIDS and Inner-City Health. More than 100 backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed to local children.
“We are proud of our employees and physicians who continue to demonstrate compassion for and commitment to our surrounding communities,” said Barbara Martin, West Suburban chief executive officer. “This has been an exciting year of investment and revitalization to enhance our care to the patients we serve, and we plan to continue that tradition of service for years to come.”