Madigan
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced on Tuesday that she has reached a $5,135,000 million settlement with a medical center over alleged violations of hospital licensing regulations.
The University of Chicago Medical Center's neonatal intensive care unit was charged with exceeding capacity limits and often having two or more NICU patients in beds that should hold only one baby.
The money from the settlement will go to help fund eight not-for-profit hospitals and health care clinics that provide maternal health care services on Chicago's South Side. The women it will help face chronic and long-term health issues that are often linked to problematic births.
"This settlement will increase access to critical medical care for low-income women and, as a result, improve their health and help them to deliver healthier babies," Madigan said.
The eight recipients of the money are Chicago Family Health Center, Christian Community Health Center, Holy Cross Hospital, Jackson Park Hospital Foundation, Mercy Foundation, Mile Square Health Center, St. Bernard Hospital and Roseland Community Hospital.
The settlement also calls for the medical center to adhere to enforcement procedures and not take part in any other violations.
The attorney general first learned of the alleged violations when two former employees from the medical center reached out to her. When a lawsuit was filed in 2006, all alleged violations ceased.