The Illinois Attorney Generals Office is investigating Loretto Hospital after reports by Block Club Chicago and the Better Government Association revealed millions of dollars in insider contracts and raised questions about oversight by the hospitals board. "We've reassured folks on the West Side that we're never going to leave them in the lurch, and we're not. Sun-Times file. One Health Billing, which is owned by Suhail, began its work managing billing for Loretto in October 2018, Culloton said, and was paid $2.1 million by Loretto between July 2018 and June 2019, according to tax records. An investigation in May showed Lightford and others accepted perks and payments from the hospital while serving as board members. Loretto Hospital CEO George Miller at a press conference about the COVID-19 vaccinations on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. Coronavirus live updates: 'Breakthrough' home test gets OK from FDA; 1 in 6 who Five Nurses, Doctors First to Get Vaccine in Chicago at West Side Hospital, Chicago healthcare workers receive 1st COVID-19 vaccines at West Side hospital. It hasnt been easy.. Several were transported to the hospital by EMS. State Rep. LaShawn Ford was a member of the board until he resigned Tuesday, saying the board must be more transparent with how it punished executives. Psychiatric Unit. Loretto Hospital CEO and President George Miller has left the troubled West Side safety-net hospital that is being investigated by the FBI, sources confirmed. Loretto, a cash-strapped safety-net hospital, changed leadership in 2018, bringing on current President George Miller and installing Dr. Anosh Ahmed as chief financial officer and chief operating officer. Loretto Hospital President George Miller speaks March 12, 2021, during a news conference at the hospital in Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune). The hospital has been embroiled in controversy in recent weeks amid reports it improperly vaccinated people with ties to Loretto leaders including CEO George Millers suburban church and a steak house, jewelry shop and the luxury Trump Tower condo building frequented by former COO Dr. Anosh Ahmed. Left: Loretto Hospital has been embroiled in scandal. A new boutique is opening today in Oak Park's Hemingway District. State Rep. La Shawn Ford knows this. Ahmed was hired by Loretto in Nov. 20, 2017, before completing his residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago in 2018. We vaccinated 200 primarily members from the Valley and from the Chicagoland area, and it could not have been done without the leadership, the open heart and the spirit of a brother beloved, Wilson says of Miller. The clerk's office keeps city records and makes them publicly accessible, and it keeps Chicagoans informed about City Council happenings. Got a story tip? Block Club and the BGA reported in April that Ahmeds friend and business partner, Sameer Suhail, created companies that won contracts worth millions from the hospital. The first vaccine event at the church was held Feb. 6, less than two weeks after the city opened eligibility and many older, at-risk Chicagoans were still desperately trying to get shots. I dont know anything about the attorney generals probe, she said. The admission was particularly controversial because COVID-19 hit particularly hard in Black and Brown communities surrounding Loretto and that the hospital was selected as the backdrop for Chicago's first coronavirus vaccinations in December. Loretto's spokesperson said the hospital is no longer approving off-site visits and that the ill person who received the vaccine was eligible. "As this is an ongoing matter, we cannot provide additional information at this time.". And reporting by the Tribune and other local media outlets reveals questionable connections between Loretto and an associate of Ahmed. Vials of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are seen in deep freeze at Chicago's Loretto Hospital, Dec. 16, 2020. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times The longer the top executives at Loretto Hospital hang on, the more negative stories are going to come out about how this safety-net hospital is being run. Loretto had been operating on the edge financially even before the pandemic, as it tried to serve vulnerable residents of the Austin neighborhood and surrounding West Side communities. High: 91, low: 74. First, today's weather: Humid throughout the day. She previously referred questions to an agency spokesman, who declined comment. Clinical News Doctor Lifestyle Medical Equipment Apply Now Expert Blog . It is my hope the city will immediately reinstate Lorettos supply of COVID-19 vaccines. George Millers departure comes a year after Block Club Chicago revealed the hospital vaccinated ineligible people with ties to administrators. The shots were administered on Jan. 29, when people were still desperate for shots in Chicago. Ive seldom seen an organization under investigation. The hospital has failed to be transparent since Block Club began reporting on the scandals. Health care ethics experts said its not illegal for board trustees to do business with the hospital, but such personal financial entanglements could compromise the boards independence. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Loretto Hospital, a 122-bed facility in the Austin neighborhood was the site of Chicago's ceremonial first COVID-19 vaccination. Loretto Hospital also hired a doctor who had surrendered his medical license, and who had ties to the same medical school Ahmed attended, to serve as director of clinical research. Right: State Senator Kimberly Lightford at a news conference in March 2020. Of the 16,000 vaccinated, nearly 70% are persons of color--far exceeding the outreach efforts of just about everyone else on the front lines. You have, as an officer of a health care organization, the responsibility to provide the highest quality service at the lowest possible cost, and if you are not doing that because theres a personal interest involved, youre basically violating the code of ethics.. Loretto is a small so-called safety net hospital in Austin that treats mostly low-income and elderly Black patients. It is unfortunate the present controversy is overshadowing the good work the hospital is doing to fight COVID-19 by testing and vaccinating residents in the Austin community and City of Chicago. State Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford accepted campaign contributions from a Loretto Hospital contractor and Caribbean travel as part of her board duties. Loretto Hospital has treated and employed generations of people in the Austin community. But he has also not said what the board was doing with Miller or Ahmed. All Rights Reserved. by giving all our patients the special attention they need. "As the safety net hospital for the city's West Side, we have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic," registered nurse and union president D Sutton said in a news release. Get Vaccinated We are not offering vaccinations at this time. The FBI is also probing vaccinations the hospital did at Trump Tower. Allegations of a possible VIP line for individuals seeking the vaccine have recently surfaced, but hospital management has said they dont believe that such a line exists. Email Newsroom@BlockClubChi.org. The position he was hired for at Loretto would not necessarily have required a medical license. As for these contracts, we know the hospital is receiving better pricing, better and increased patient services and, more importantly for a community hospital, deriving millions of dollars in new annual revenue from dramatically improved billing and collections, Carroll said. WBEZ-FM (Chicago, IL) To listen, click here. Ahmed, resigned in March 2021 after Block Club revealed the vaccinations at Trump Tower, where Ahmed lived, and at businesses where Ahmed frequented. Block Club then partnered with the Better Government Association to show Ahmeds friends won contracts worth $4 million from the nonprofit hospital while Loretto board members took hospital-funded Caribbean trips, among other benefits. Indicates that a Newsmaker/Newsmakers was/were physically present to report the article from some/all of the location(s) it concerns. That company helps place residents and medical students from Caribbean medical schools at hospitals. The attorney generals office also can make a referral to the IRS if they believe a further audit is warranted. SEE MORE: Chicago COVID: Loretto Hospital apologizes for vaccinating judges, spouses out of turn, "Our Charitable Trust Bureau requested information about Loretto's potential misuse of charitable assets," the spokesperson said in an email response to questions about the inquiry. Festive Collective will feature party decor, greeting cards, gifts, art, jewelry and select clothing at its 159 S. Oak Park Ave. location. Since 2018, the state health department has investigated several safety issues at Loretto, including when a pregnant woman died in late 2017 after the hospital failed to perform an ultrasound on her in a timely manner. Inquiries like this one by the attorney general are not particularly common, said David Bea, a Chicago attorney who has represented hundreds of nonprofit clients over the past two decades. Embattled Loretto Hospital Executive Resigns After Vaccine Scandals, Another Group Favored By Loretto Hospital Exec Got Vaccinated Early: Gold Coast Steakhouse Higher-Ups, Sources Say, Rep. LaShawn Ford Resigns From Loretto Hospital Board, Says He Strongly Disagreed With Slap On The Wrist For Execs, Loretto Executives Keep Jobs After Vaccine Scandals Force Emergency Board Of Directors Meeting, Luxury Gold Coast Watch Shop That Got Improper Vaccinations Has Very Important Customer: A Loretto Hospital Executive, Loretto Hospital Execs Reprimanded For Going Rogue After Letting Well-Connected People Skip Vaccine Line, Loretto Hospital Vaccinated CEOs Suburban Church While West Siders Were Calling Daily For Shots, Vaccine Doses Not Being Sent To Loretto Until City Can Confirm Its Vaccinating, Reporting People Properly, City Wont Give Vaccines To Hospitals That Let People Cut In Line, Lightfoot Warns After Trump Tower Controversy, Cook County Judges, Spouses Were Given Chance To Be Vaccinated At Loretto Hospital, Report Says, Chicago Hospital Executive Bragged About Vaccinating Eric Trump On Day His Hospital Vaccinated Workers At Trump Tower, Improper Vaccinations At Trump Tower Disappointing, Mayor Says As She Vows City Will Dig Deeper To Verify West Side Hospitals Story, Trump Tower Workers Got Vaccines From West Side Hospital Whose COO Owns A Condo In Luxury Highrise, Trump Tower Vaccinated Staff At Luxury Hotel, Saying It Was Part Of Program Meant To Help Hard-Hit South And West Sides. 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