Cook County (Ill.) Health halted ambulance services at the safety-net hospital more than a decade ago as part of a plan to cut costs and shift the hospital’s focus to outpatient care. The move caused emergency department strain in nearby hospitals, including the University of Chicago Medical Center, which is about one mile away from Provident.
Provident’s relaunch of ambulance services is part of a larger effort to expand medical care at the hospital, according to Cook County leaders. In addition to ED renovations, the hospital has upgraded its dialysis center and gotten a new MRI machine. The upgrades cost more than $5 million.
