West Suburban hospital cuts ties with midwives, family medicine doctors — a blow to Black and Latino patients

Resilience Healthcare announced family medicine physicians and certified nurse midwives will no longer be able to deliver babies at West Suburban Medical Center.

Unequal access to obstetric care is a critical public health concern in Illinois, and this decision will lead to hundreds of patients losing a safe and trusted birthing option on the West Side of Chicago, a community historically disenfranchised by the health care system.

Family medicine physicians who deliver babies provide seamless, connected care for parents and infants before, during and after delivery. Now, this loss of access jeopardizes continuity of care in the "fourth" trimester, after the baby is born.

Family physicians provide prenatal and obstetric care across the country, in Chicago and the suburbs. Unequivocally, the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians support family physicians providing pregnancy, delivery and newborn care.

A cooperative and collaborative relationship among obstetricians, family physicians and nurse midwives is essential to deliver consistent, high-quality care to pregnant women. The IAFP and AAFP advocate that pregnancy, perinatal and newborn care privileges should be based on the individual physician's training, experience and demonstrated current competence, and not by specialty alone.

As a result of Resilience Healthcare's decision, at least 34 family medicine physicians will lose obstetrical privileges at West Suburban Medical Center.

Approximately 500 patients are engaged in prenatal care with the affected family physicians and certified nurse midwives. Forty-three percent of those patients identify as Hispanic/Latino, and 44% identify as Black. The majority live in the Hermosa and Austin neighborhoods, both designated as medically underserved areas.

This decision will worsen disparities in safe birthing options in Chicago.

In every community where safe and equitable delivery care is at risk, we will aggressively assist trained, experienced family physicians in securing and keeping their clinical credentials in pregnancy, perinatal and newborn care.

Kate Rowland, M.D., president, Illinois Academy of Family Physicians

Error in judgment

Judge Thomas E. Nowinski now has the blood of two people on his hands, after letting two alleged killers out on the street despite clear evidence they were an imminent threat to the lives of the people they stabbed to death.

Tom Vega-Byrnes, Beverly

Judges, protect victims of domestic violence

Judge Thomas E. Nowinski, thanks to your gross misjudgment, a woman and a young boy are dead. How many more domestic abusers of women and children will you be releasing in the future?

Eileen Hughes, Near North Side

Chicago’s ‘Wicked’ ties

The "Wicked" movie has hit theaters, welcoming old and new audiences alike to the land of Oz. Many may not know "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," the novel that started it all (movies, plays, musicals and more), was written right here in Chicago.

Author L. Frank Baum wrote "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" from his home at 1667 N. Humboldt Blvd. in 1899. So the legend goes, Baum’s idea for Oz’s Emerald City was inspired by his numerous visits to the White City of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago — a brightly lit, beautiful city but filled with skeletons of temporary buildings covered in painted plaster.

Although the Baum family home in Humboldt Park no longer stands, the block’s sidewalk was dug up in 2019 and repaved with yellow bricks to honor the birthplace of America’s first great fairy tale.

And less than four miles to the east of Chicago’s own yellow brick road is Oz Park. Yes, that "Oz." Located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, Oz Park celebrates all things "Wizard of Oz."

According to the Chicago Park District, areas of the 14-acre park include Dorothy’s Playlot and the Emerald Garden. Surrounding these areas are statues of the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and everyone’s favorites, Dorothy and Toto.

Another Chicago connection: In 1978, Chicago’s own Quincy Jones produced the soundtrack for "The Wiz," the musical adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" featuring a star-studded cast of all Black actors, including Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

I think Chicago historian Shermann Dilla Thomas sums this whole thing up best: "Everything dope about America comes from Chicago."

Marty Malone, Midway

Dems need strong playbook vs. misinformation

There is no way to view the results of the 2024 presidential election except with eyes wide open and a sense of loss.

One conversation I’ll never forget took place while canvassing a swing-state voter in Hartford, Michigan — a small city nestled in Van Buren County, a Republican stronghold. The husband answered the door, watching Sunday Night Football. "Sorry to interrupt the game. I’m here with the Harris/Walz campaign," I began, but he nervously cut in, "We are a split household. Let me get my wife."

Thinking I’d struck gold, a slim, blonde woman with bright veneers came to the door, and I started my pitch. She quickly identified herself as a Donald Trump voter, explaining how she believed immigration was destroying our country.

Without prompting, she brought up the migrant situation in Chicago, speaking as if she had witnessed the arrivals firsthand. In reality, I have worked directly with our new arrivals, coordinating daily meals from restaurants across the city while children and families slept on the floors of police stations for weeks, awaiting shelter placement amid a brutal Chicago winter.

When we discussed abortion, she stated she was pro-choice but adamantly opposed to full-term abortions. I replied, "I don’t believe in them either. Because it’s not true; full-term abortions don’t happen except in cases of medical emergencies."

It didn’t matter whether my information was correct or if what she believed was inaccurate. It was her truth. I knew then I would never convince her otherwise. Perhaps it was her husband I should have engaged with more persuasively.

With another Trump presidency and a Republican-controlled Senate and House, the Democratic Party must confront how to address the misinformation spreading across American households that shapes mistruths as if they were facts.

We need to think long term, finding ways to genuinely connect with swing voters in their everyday conversations about the issues that deeply affect us all. Without deep reflection, we risk relying on the same playbook, hoping to convince people of the truth rather than recognizing and combating their version of truth.

Maggie O'Keefe, 40th Ward Democratic Committeeperson

Appeasing ‘the middle’ doesn’t work for Dems

For over 100 years, the Democratic Party has pushed for progress, bringing together people from all walks of life — working families, communities of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals and many more.

The state of Illinois is a prime example of what can happen when this coalition works in harmony. With its diverse electorate and progressive policies on healthcare, climate change and social justice, Illinois stands as a testament to what can be accomplished when Democrats embrace their base and work to uplift everyone in our society.

But when faced with defeat, the party often makes the mistake of veering away from its core values. Instead of doubling down on policies that reflect the needs of its diverse base, the party sometimes compromises, leaning into centrist positions that only end up alienating its most loyal supporters.

Take Raphael Warnock in Georgia and Doug Jones in Alabama as examples. After historic voter mobilization efforts, they showed us what a true progressive movement could look like in the South and proved what’s possible when Democrats engage with Black voters.

Too often, that effort feels like a one-off, not a sustained commitment. Now more than ever, the Democratic Party must wake up to the true nature of our coalition and recognize that within our most committed communities, we have enough votes to build the power needed to create progressive change.

This pattern of abandoning dedicated voters from communities of color in favor of courting independents has proven to be a repeated mistake year after year. In southern states and swing states alike, Black communities hold the key to higher voter turnout — and Democrats know those are votes they can count on. So, why does the party keep looking elsewhere?

When the party chooses moderation over the bold, progressive change its base demands, it risks losing trust and support — especially among communities that have long been marginalized.

This is one of the most pivotal moments in history for taking action for those who fight for justice and equality. The time is now for Democrats to build a future that honors the true strength of their coalition and ensure no one is left behind to appease the middle.

Alexandra Sims, APS & Associates, Chicago

Jussie Smollett spoiled his future

All articles about Jussie Smollett should begin: "Former actor Jesse Smollett ..." No studio will touch him.

CJ Martello, Pullman

Mourning passing of Bob Love

So sad to learn of the passing of Bob "Butterbean" Love. He was the best "catch and shoot" player ever.

Hank Trenkle, Park Ridge

Going bananas

A duct-taped banana sells for $6.2 million. This explains everything. The world is going bananas!

Tom DeDore, Garfield Ridge

Rethink garbage fees

I agree that garbage fees should be increased — if it is done fairly. I own a two-flat, the type of building the city says it is desperately trying to save. If so, why am I double-taxed when I have three carts plus a recycle bin and rarely fill more than one garbage bin? Many neighbors in single-family homes have a similar number of garbage bins and pay a single fee.

I am also a senior, and seniors in single-family homes also get a discount on the fee, but not if you own a two-flat. The city needs to rethink the fairness of its billing practices.

Stephen Carmody, Beverly

Trump didn’t win a mandate

Can we please stop calling Donald Trump's election victory a mandate from the voters? As of Friday, Trump led Harris by only 1.6% in the popular vote, and it was about 233,000 votes in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin that turned the election to Trump.

He wants us to believe he has the full support of the American people so when he declares a national emergency at the southern border, we'll go right along. Trump wants U.S. soldiers in the streets rounding up anyone Stephen Miller and Tom Homan decide is an undocumented immigrant guilty of crimes. (If citizens protest, will they be guilty of crimes?)

If we're prepared to spend as much as $350 billion a year for detention centers run by private contractors, we'll need to round up a whole lot of people to make a profit.

Does anyone really believe Trump will ever lift the emergency declaration? Remember, he famously said he would be a dictator on "Day 1."

Richard Keslinke, Algonquin

Inflation will rise under Trump

When Donald Trump follows through on his economic plans, inflation is going to explode. Tariffs are costly to consumers, not to other countries. Deporting large numbers of undocumented workers will cripple food production.

Michael Shepherd, Bellwood