By: Jose Rodriguez

Humboldt Park’s community leaders, social service providers, residents and others united at the Courtyard of Norwegian American Hospital to call the state’s general Assembly to save access to healthcare for the neighborhood’s neediest residents last week. In response to the widely-felt concern that cuts to providers affecting hospitals, community based agencies, mental health providers, nursing homes, and others that will have a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents. The financial stability of many safety-net hospitals that serve the poor across this state is threatened, and the impact particularly on Norwegian American Hospital will be devastating.

Norwegian has been serving the community areas of Humboldt Park, West Town, Austin, and Logan Square for over 115 years. These communities are home to mostly African-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican residents who are uninsured or underinsured. As a result, Norwegian provides a large share of non-reimbursable charity care. Furthermore, these communities have been found by public health researchers to have higher rates of asthma, diabetes, obesity, and HIV/AIDS when compared to city and national rates. Cuts to Medicaid would devastate Norwegian and ultimately negatively impact the already dire health status of the communities it serves.