Some Call It ‘Death Hospital’: Inside The Northwest Side Medical Center Plagued By Problems

Community First Medical Center is a safety-net hospital designed to help Chicago’s most vulnerable people.

The for-profit hospital has received millions of dollars in government grants.

But in recent years, structural damage and flooding have shut down parts of the hospital.

Staff and patients have coped with broken elevators and supply shortages.

The hospital has failed safety inspections.

Government officials have linked hospital failures to patient and staff deaths.

And as the troubles mount, staff and patients worry more lives could be at risk.

Patients and staff have reported filthy rooms, broken supplies and a flooded ER at Community First in Portage Park despite the tens of millions in taxpayer grants sent to the for-profit safety-net hospital since the pandemic.

Manny Ramos