A Storied Family Medicine Residency Program faces the end after 50 Years

The Family Medicine Residency Program at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park was founded in 1971 by then-IAFP President Allison L. Burdick, Jr. MD and quickly became one of the most sought-after training programs in the state and around the country.  Providing safe, comprehensive compassionate maternity care is a hallmark of the residency program. PCC Wellness Center physicians serve as residency faculty and as the primary source of maternity care in the community.  The hospital in Oak Park borders with the Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side, most of the patients rely on Medicaid or are uninsured. “West Sub” graduates received extensive obstetrics training and experience, and many added a maternal child health fellowship with high-risk pregnancy and cesarean section delivery training to provide quality care to entire families throughout pregnancy, childbirth and beyond.  

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has withdrawn institutional accreditation from WSMC as a sponsoring institution. As a result, 20 residents—10 in their first year (PGY1) and 10 in their second year (PGY2)—are now displaced and desperately trying to find positions at other accredited institutions. These dedicated residents, who entered the program with a passion for serving underserved communities, now find themselves in an unprecedented crisis. The hospital appealed the decision in early March 2025, and refuses to release the Medicare training funding so that residents could tranfer to another program to continue their traning on schedule With accreditation officially ending on June 30, 2025 these future physicians face immense uncertainty regarding their training, careers, and ability to continue serving those in need. IAFP will focus on retaining these residency slots and the residents themselves for the Illinois family medicine workforce of the future.

On March 10 the Austin Weekly News reported that West Suburban Medical Center owner will appeal the loss of ACGME accreditation, leaving resident physicians in limbo unless the hospital allows the Medicare funding to transfer with them.

The Oak Park Wednesday Journal February 14 issue included an in-depth look at how current first and second year residents at West Suburban Family Medicine Residency program are facing an uncertain future due to the loss of accreditation for West Suburban Medical Center as the sponsoring institution. .     

Cook County Chronicle added more coverage of the issue and impact

In late 2024, the medical center rescinded obstetrics privileges for all family physicians residents, who provided full scope, comprehensive pre-natal, delivery and post-partum care for hundreds of families.  The move essentially wiped out a cornerstone of the residency program and left pregnant patients scrambling to either deliver at another facility with their doctor or deliver at West Suburban not knowing the contracted obstetrician that would be there to deliver.        

RELATED COVERAGE:
Recapping the media coverage from the West Suburban Medical Center developments:

November 24 IAFP Letter to the Editor in the Chicago Sun-Times           

November 27 Wednesday Journal news story            

November 27 IAFP Letter to the Editor in the Wednesday Journal           

November 27, IAFP member Anastasia Crihfield, MD Commentary in the Wednesday Journal 

Paul Luning, MD & Morgan Madison, MD provided insights to the WBEZ story about the abrupt decision to end family medicine and midwives obstetrics privileges at West Suburban Medical Center.