Newswise — Loyola University Health System has received the go-ahead from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board to make Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park part of the Loyola health system on July 1, 2008. "This is a great day for Loyola, for Gottlieb and for the families in the communities we serve," said Paul K. Whelton, MB, MD, MSc, president and CEO of Loyola University Health System. "This agreement brings together two well-respected institutions that together will elevate the level of care in Chicago's western suburbs to a new standard." Once the agreement is signed, the Gottlieb campus will be known as Loyola University Health System at Gottlieb. "We are very excited about the progress made in this tremendous partnership between Gottlieb and Loyola," said Gottlieb Memorial Hospital board chairman Jack Weinberg. "The new, combined resources will bring meaningful enhancements to the quality of care, and result in the creation of a foundation to further support the health and wellness of our community. 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 are all currently part of parent company Gottlieb Health Resources. 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. "We appreciate the support of the state and many community leaders as we work with Loyola to do more for the thousands who turn to us for care," said John Morgan, president of Gottlieb Memorial Hospital. "Our organizations clearly complement each other, and this agreement between Loyola and Gottlieb creates a health care system greater than the sum of its parts."

Loyola University Health System, headquartered in Maywood, has grown significantly in recent years. This successful agreement will help to launch further system growth that is central to Loyola's 10-year strategic plan. Bringing Gottlieb into the system will help address critical capacity issues for the 570-licensed bed Loyola University Hospital and associated outpatient clinics throughout the western suburbs.

This agreement will allow patients at Gottlieb to participate in research at Loyola and access the leading-edge care that is the hallmark of a world-class academic medical center.

Loyola will relocate most of its general obstetrics and general gynecology services and its orthopaedic joint program to its Gottlieb campus. Renovation of Gottlieb's five labor and delivery rooms is now complete and work is continuing to update its post-partum and post-op gynecology units with décor and finishes that harmonize with Loyola's newly opened patient tower. A remodeled unit for orthopaedic and joint-replacement patients includes 21 private patient rooms. The approved 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 primarily to support future health initiatives at Gottlieb.

Loyola University Health System Based in the western suburbs of Chicago, Loyola University Health System is a quaternary care system with a 61-acre main medical center campus and 22 primary and specialty care facilities in Cook, Will and DuPage counties. The medical center campus is conveniently located in Maywood, 13 miles west of the Chicago Loop and 8 miles east of Oak Brook, Ill. The heart of the medical center campus, Loyola University Hospital, is a 570-licensed bed facility currently undergoing a significant expansion project. It houses a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Burn Center and the Ronald McDonald® Children's Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center. Also on campus are the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola Outpatient Center, Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine and Loyola Oral Health Center as well as the LUC Stritch School of Medicine, the LUC Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and the Loyola Center for Health & Fitness.

Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, a not-for-profit community hospital founded in 1961, has more than 350 physicians on staff, approximately 1,400 employees and 150 volunteers. Gottlieb is best-known for emergency care as a Level II Trauma Center; comprehensive heart care, including open-heart surgery; a full range of cancer care services; advanced neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery; comprehensive obstetrics and gynecology services; and advanced diagnostics that include digital mammography. The Gottlieb Health & Fitness Center is the Midwest's first medically based health and fitness center, offering innovative exercise programs, two pools, an indoor running track, a vast array of cardiovascular equipment, strength and weight training, and much more. Go to gottliebhospital.org for more information.