A new year is a good time for resolutions, and in 2023, America’s health care providers should follow the example of St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center on Chicago's South Side.
In 2021, this independent, 174-bed facility in the Englewood neighborhood was the only hospital in the state to earn an “F” for safety on the widely watched Leapfrog Group evaluations. In 2022, the Leapfrog Group raised its grade to a “B.”
St. Bernard is a safety net for some of Chicago’s lowest-income residents, who often arrive in especially bad shape owing to a lack of regular care. Its facility is aging, and the hospital is losing $1 million a month. Yet it was able to take huge safety strides in less than two years. The Tribune chronicled this achievement on its Dec. 26 front page.
