HY Connect, an advertising agency in Chicago, is no longer serving Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care, according to a Chicago Business Journal report.
An Advocate spokesperson could not immediately be reached by the Chicago Business Journal for comment, but, according to the publication, Advocate is believed to be searching for a new advertising agency.
Advocate, which had been with HY Connect for more than a decade, is the largest health system in Illinois. Following the loss of the Advocate account, HY Connect could end up laying off employees, HY Connect President and CEO Ron Bess told Chicago Business Journal. However, he noted that it's too preliminary to say how many workers could be laid off due to other developments coming early in 2017.
"We're going to announce a new account and the acquisition of two digital shops to bolster our capabilities in that department," Mr. Bess told the publication.
The end of Advocate's relationship with HY Connect comes days after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up appeals filed by Christian-affiliated hospital systems, one of which is Advocate, that are accused of underfunding their employee pension plans.
With the loss of Advocate, Indianapolis-based Indiana University Health is now the agency's largest account, according to the report.
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