Loyola University Health System and Gottlieb Health Resources Hope to Join Forces to Enhance Health Care in Chicago Suburbs

Gottlieb Health Resources in Melrose Park will, pending state approval, become part of the Loyola University Health System, which includes Loyola University Medical Center, under an agreement reached in January.

This agreement will allow patients at Gottlieb to participate in research conducted at Loyola and access the cutting-edge care that is the hallmark of a major teaching hospital.

Gottlieb Memorial Hospital will remain a full-service, community hospital under the terms of the agreement. Loyola University Health System’s Board of Directors will assume governance of all Gottlieb entities, including the 250-bed hospital, the Gottlieb Health & Fitness Center and the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Care Center, all located on the Melrose Park campus. These facilities all are currently part of parent company Gottlieb Health Resources.

“This agreement represents the coming together of two respected not-for-profit institutions that complement each other, the sum of which will greatly enhance health care in the area,” said Paul K. Whelton, MB, MD, MSc, CEO, of Loyola University Health System.

Loyola University Health System has grown significantly in recent years. The agreement helps address critical capacity issues for the 570-licensed-bed Loyola University Hospital and associated 22 outpatient clinics throughout the western suburbs.

Pending state approval of the transaction, Loyola will relocate most of its general obstetrics and general gynecology services and its orthopaedic joint program to the Gottlieb campus, which will be known as Loyola University Health System at Gottlieb, once the transaction is finalized. The two hospitals’ medical staffs will remain separate, and there are no plans to eliminate positions at either facility as a result of this transaction.

“Pairing a world-class teaching hospital with a highly skilled community hospital and medical staff creates a powerful synergy that will benefit our patients,” said John Morgan, president of Gottlieb Memorial Hospital.

The transaction calls for Gottlieb to provide $15 million from its assets for future operating capital and $75 million to create the Gottlieb Memorial Foundation, a charitable organization created to support future health initiatives at Gottlieb.