The outlook for Chicago healthcare jobs is bright.

According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet area employed 509,000 people in June 2008 in the education and health services industry, an increase of 1.6 percent over the previous year.

The Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council states healthcare in Chicago and throughout the country is expected to grow throughout the near future.

(more…)

The closure of a Chicago hospital will soon cause the loss of over 200 healthcare jobs. The operators of the Michael Reese Hospital, which is located on the city’s south side, recently submitted the plans for closing to the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board. If the Board approves this decision then the hospital and the healthcare jobs it provides will be no more as early as fall of this year.

Reese has been suffering financial problems for sometime, but the decision to expedite its closure was based on the fact that the land may be a key piece in the city’s bid to hold the Olympics in 2016. The hospital’s problems have included over ten million dollars in losses, challenges brought on by changes in ownership and the rising number of uninsured patients who are unable to pay their medical bills.

(more…)