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The emergency room of Weiss Memorial Hospital in Uptown officially shut its doors Friday morning. <\/p>\n
A sign posted on the door of the North Side hospital emergency room at 4646 N. Marine Dr. notified patients of the closure Friday morning. <\/p>\n
Weiss is set to lose access to Medicare and Medicaid on Saturday, which makes up the vast majority of the hospital\u2019s revenue. <\/p>\n
“[Losing this hospital] removes access for a lot of people in this community,\u201d Weiss ER nurse Daniel Maser told the Sun-Times outside the hospital Friday morning. \u201cEven in the short time that we have been closed to ambulances, we\u2019ve still seen almost a thousand patients that have just walked in to seek care.\u201d <\/p>\n
A closure sign posted on the door of the Emergency Room at Weiss Hospital Friday morning. <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/p>\n Kaitlin Washburn\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The rest of the hospital has been closed for weeks. The ER was the only department to remain open after Weiss cleared out its inpatient unit back in June when the AC failed.<\/p>\n Friday morning, a few patients came in for regular doctor\u2019s appointments at the hospital\u2019s outpatient clinics, which currently remain open. But the hospital grounds were otherwise quiet. Employees could be seen carrying out equipment and boxes. <\/p>\n The hospital was cut<\/a> from the federal insurance programs after state investigations found a monthslong pattern of Weiss being in and out of compliance with federal regulators due to issues with its emergency room, air-conditioning system and nursing staff.<\/p>\n Maser said Friday staff have been mourning Weiss closing. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s really been a range of emotions,\u201d Maser said. For \u201csome people it\u2019s panic to find new employment. It\u2019s not a lot of notice to be able to find a new job. Some people are just heartbreaking like myself, and others are really angry just with how things have played out here at Weiss.\u201d <\/p>\n