Coronavirus Cases To Be Isolated At Former Metro South Hospital

BLUE ISLAND, IL — The shuttered MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, could begin receiving quarantined coronavirus patients as early as this Thursday after the City of Chicago struck an agreement with the current operators to reopen the hospital.

MetroSouth stopped receiving patients in September 2019. Last week, Quorum Health announced that it had completed a sale of the hospital property to Lockwood Development Partners, a real estate development company with offices in Chicago. The rapid rise of coronavirus cases in Illinois, which as of Monday numbered 1,285 and 12 deaths, prompted some legislators to call for MetroSouth to be reopened to treat COVID-19 patients.

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (Illinois 1st District) and state Rep. Bob Rita (28th District) asked Gov. JB Pritzker to take steps to immediately get the Blue Island facility back in operation. The equipment in the former MetroSouth emergency room was transferred to Lockwood, according to a news release from the City of Blue Island.

The reopened facility will provide 200 additional beds for the isolation and quarantine of people who have been exposed to or tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. The city also plans to rent 2,000 rooms in downtown Chicago for people who’ve tested positive or been exposed to someone with the virus.

“[MetroSouth], along with Hotel 166 and several YMCA locations, will allow our hospital system to focus on the patients whose need is most critical. We hope to have this facility ready to accept people by the end of this week,” city officials said.

Lockwood indicated to Blue Island officials that it hoped to use part of the former MetroSouth property for veterans services. Blue Island officials indicated they would like see part of the building converted to emergency services for south suburban residents.

On Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said city officials hope to finalize the deal "in the next day or so."

Chicago Public Health Department Commission Dr. Allison Arwady said the former Metro South property gives the city the ability to provide "acute hospital-level care" if needed in the future.