Hospitals Face Financial Challenges Due to COVID-19 - Lorretto Health, Chicago, Ill.

In Chicago, the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged communities of color, disproportionately affecting Black residents. They represent only 30% of the population, but account for 46% of all cases and 57% of all deaths. The Loretto Hospital serves the Austin community and Chicago’s West Side, a mostly Black community hard hit by the pandemic. Strapped for resources, the hospital is grappling with staffing shortages, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), limited testing capabilities, difficulty transferring patients to nursing homes, chronic homelessness and gang violence.