OAK FOREST, ILLINOIS, August 12 — Thirty-five workers, students, patients and PLP members protested Cook County’s plans to close Oak Forest Hospital. Oak Forest is the public hospital that serves the south suburbs of Chicago, an area home to many working-class, unemployed, and black residents. It is a lifeline for people with no insurance who will not receive adequate services from the private hospitals in the area.
Our protest started out on the campus of Oak Forest in front of the long-term patient ward where many in-house patients have already been moved and subsequently died. We then moved to the emergency room where Cook County police stopped us and demanded that we move off campus. In high spirits, we relocated to the busy intersection at the hospital entrance, where we passed out hundreds of fliers and copies of CHALLENGE and were met with many honks of support.
The government of Cook County, led by Toni Preckwinkle, want to close the hospital and have uninsured patients travel to Stroger Hospital at least 45 minutes away. This plan will ensure the death of many sick patients who need to travel that far to be stabilized. Our protest called out Preckwinkle for what she is — a murderer.
In a capitalist society where wars and bank profits are a priority over the lives of workers, we should not be surprised by the plan to close Oak Forest Hospital. The racist and sexist disregard for the health of these predominantly poor black, Latino and women workers exposes the ruling-class plan for a fascist system. It’s a plan that means the death of workers who are unnecessary for their profits.
A public health system under capitalism is solely based on the needs of profit. Communism, on the other hand, values the well-being and contributions of all workers. Only communism will provide the health system necessary to make that a reality.
On August 16th, the Illinois Health Review Board will vote whether to grant Cook County permission to officially close the hospital based on the rulers’ needs. The battle will continue, no matter the outcome. (See update in next issue.)