A Chicago hospital facing financial woes but located in an underserved area of the city might not be closing after all.

Illinois health regulators denied a Chicago hospital's bid to close its doors due to increased costs and lower utilization, according to Healthcare Dive. All six board members present at a recent meeting voted against closure. 

The plans to end services at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center on Chicago's South Side drew outcry from the community as the facility serves some of the city's most vulnerable residents as a safety net provider. The closure plans were also ill received as it coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been particularly deadly for people of color.

The hospital, which is part of the large nonprofit system Trinity Health, submitted plans to discontinue inpatient operations in late August after plans fell through to band together with three other south Chicago hospitals to create a new system.

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