Orland Township Supervisor Pleads to Save Palos Health and Fitness Center

Orland Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady is imploring that the head of Palos Community Hospital reconsider its plan to close Palos Health and Fitness Center.

Members of the fitness center at 153rd Street and West Avenue were recently notified that the facility would shut down May 1. The facility, which is run by Palos Community Hospital, was set for demolition to make space for a $133 million hospital office building.

Proposed plans call for a four-story, 107,760-square-foot medical office building with offices, diagnostic and treatment space for medical specialties. A 16,000-square-foot, three-story building connection will join two existing office buildings and the new medical facility, Daily Southtown reported.

Also proposed is a 125,000-square-foot below-grade parking garage, and other site improvements. The hospital has submitted a project plan to the Illinois Health Facility Services Review Board this month, the newspaper said.

For more than a decade, the facility has been available for people of all ages pursuing a more positive and healthy lifestyle. Many of our residents, having taken advantage of the options there, have improved their physical strength and flexibility while enhancing their overall quality of life. I cannot overstate the benefits to our community of having these opportunities easily accessible in the heart of the southwest suburbs.

Orland Township seniors, in particular, rely each day on the Palos Health and Fitness Center’s water therapy programs, cardiac fitness classes and numerous other senior-oriented services to support their health, wellness and longevity. Individuals with multiple sclerosis and other chronic and debilitating conditions utilize the center’s programs, classes and services to stay active and help manage their symptoms.

The Palos Health and Fitness Center is a state of the art facility in superb condition, fulfilling an important need in this community, not a building in deteriorating condition and in need of a major investment. Appreciating the importance of this fitness center to all of the people who depend on it, as is clear from the widespread public opposition to closure, is there room to work creatively with your architect and contractor on a revised design to preserve the center – perhaps by building around or above it?

Respectfully, Palos Community Hospital is a non-profit corporation operating in accordance with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Healthcare Facilities, and there is an expectation that it consider its obligations to the local community to a greater degree than a for-profit hospital might. The loss of this tremendous asset would be detrimental to area residents and I would ask that you carefully evaluate the adverse consequences of any site redevelopment plan that would not include its continuation.

—O’Grady wrote to Timothy J. Brosnan, Vice President of Planning and Community Relations for Palos Community Hospital

O’Grady’s concerns echo that of Senator Bill Cunningham (18th District).

“This facility provides unique services that many in the community utilize to leading a healthy lifestyle,” Cunningham said in a letter to hospital officials. “I respectfully ask that Palos Community Hospital reconsider their decision or find a way to continue to provide this excellent service to their community.”

Read more:

• Cunningham Urges Hospital to Reconsider Plans to Demolish Palos Fitness Center