Westlake Hospital closing approved unanimously by state review board

The owners of Westlake Hospital received approval from a state’s review board that allows them to move forward with plans to close the Melrose Park facility.

The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted 7 to 0 in favor of the closure Tuesday afternoon.

Those opposed to the hospital’s closure had hoped the review board would defer Pipeline Health’s application to close until pending lawsuits by the village and the Cook County state’s attorney are resolved.

It was nearly granted with a 4 to 3 vote in favor of deferring earlier in the day.

But without a five-vote majority, the board couldn’t pass anything.

The board should have nine voting members, but one was absent Tuesday, and one seat is unfilled.

Two recent appointees by Gov. J.B. Pritzker were among the three board members who voted against deferring the application.

When Pipeline filed paperwork to close Westlake, its application stated the 230-bed facility would shut down approximately 45 days after receiving board approval, according to Pipeline’s application of closure.

Pipeline, a California-based health care network, bought Westlake in January for $70 million. It was one of three Chicago-area hospitals Tenet Healthcare sold to Pipeline Health and TWG Partners, a health care investment firm founded by Eric Whitaker.

Whitaker, a close friend of former President Barack Obama, served as director of Illinois Department of Public Health and executive vice president and associate dean at the University of Chicago Medicine.

This story is still developing, check back for updates.