■ Laramie Bank development makes progress PAGE 8
FREE Vol. 40 No. 13
April 1, 2026 ■ Also serving Garfield Park ■ austinweeklynews.com
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No Kings protest marches in Austin
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Page 3
West Sub closes, reopening teased, Davonte Dudley and investigation possible the future of Owner in talks with possible operator, all patients discharged, staff furloughed
Austin
Transforming lived experience into leadership
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN and JESSICA MORDACQ
By HECTOR CERVANTES
Staff Reporters
West Suburban Medical Center closed its doors to all patients on March 27 with its CEO blaming chronic payment collection woes for a financial crisis that led the hospital to furlough its 600-some employees. Since, all patients have been discharged or transferred to a different medical facility. Meanwhile, the owner of the hospital’s real estate and a minority investor in the hospital said he’s working with Insight Hospital & Medical Center to potentially reopen and operate West Sub. And State Rep. La Shawn Ford, a long-time supporter of the hospital, said there needs to be an investigation of the hospital’s finances. The hospital’s closing was disclosed in an email to staff on March 25. Obtained by Wednesday Journal and the Austin Weekly News, the email from Manoj Prasad, the CEO of Resilience Health, said the hospital was able to make only one last payroll.
Contributing Reporter
suspension of service. We are actively working with various healthcare providers, community partners, and sister state agencies on a roadmap that will
In the Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side, Davonte Dudley is part of a new generation of leaders turning lived experience into action, using mentorship, education and grassroots organizing to uplift his community. Dudley connects his education to his activism, focusing on mental health, healing and youth advocacy, all while maintaining strong ties to his Austin community. Dudley said his involvement in community organizing and youth mentorship in Austin was largely inspired by Aisha Oliver, a leader, activist and founder of the Root2fruit Youth Foundation and others at Austin Town Hall, who showed him there was more to life than his immediate surroundings. “They showed me there’s more to this work than what’s right in front of me. I can find ways to do my own groundwork and things like that. Being in community with people, doers and thinkers really propelled me to want to do this
See WEST SUB on page 4
See DAVONTE DUDLEY on page 6
TODD BANNOR
West Suburban Hospital sign with ‘Emergency’ taped over on March 26. In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health, said, “Our top priority remains ensuring continuity of care for community residents and patients who have been impacted by the
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