To protest the abrupt and dangerous closure of South Side’s Provident Hospital of Cook County’s Emergency Room, registered nurses at Provident Hospital and their supporters are holding a socially distance action and media availability at 3:00 p.m., April 17 to describe the danger this closure poses to the health and safety of the patient community that Provident Hospital serves, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, the nation’s largest and fastest-growing nurses’ union representing 150,000 registered nurses across the country.

At 3:00 p.m. on Friday, April 3, the Cook County Health and Hospital System (CCHHS) emailed staff to inform them that the emergency room would close effective Monday, April 6 and remain closed until May 6, 2020 for renovations. Nurses asked management to delay the closing and consult with nurses and the community, but management refused. That same weekend, it was reported that COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting African Americans, who make up 30% of Chicago’s population, but are 70% of deaths.

Who: Registered nurses and members of National Nurses United
What: Socially-distanced action and RN media availability to speak out against the dangerous closure of the Provident Hospital of Cook’s County Emergency Room to patients and the community
Where:  Cook County Clerk’s Office: 118 N Clark St., Chicago, IL 60602
When: Friday, April 17 at 3:00 p.m. CT