Vista Medical Center East down to 21 patients and closes a floor amid reports doctors may take over Waukegan hospital

Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan had just 21 patients Thursday morning and closed one of its floors, an employee said, amid reports that a group of the hospital’s doctors could take over running it. An employee told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that Vista Medical Center East had 21 patients on Thursday morning and that the hospital closed its fifth floor. The fifth floor had only 15 patients so the hospital moved four of them to the intensive care unit and the rest to the second floor before closing it, the employee said. American Healthcare Systems (AHS), the California-based, for-profit hospital chain that owns Vista Medical Center East, bought the hospital in July 2023. A Vista Medical Center East spokesperson said Friday that Lake and McHenry County Scanner’s questions had been shared with AHS and hospital leadership and that they were awaiting a response.

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