Rush Oak Park Hospital will join the Chicago area's largest hospital system under a merger announced Wednesday, Oct. 14. Rush University System for Health and Endeavor Health said they plan to combine into a single 12-hospital network.

The deal would unite Rush's three hospitals with Endeavor's nine, creating a system operating more than 400 care sites across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. The combined organization would employ more than 46,000 people and serve more than 2 million patients a year, according to a joint announcement from the two systems.

The merger carries particular weight in Oak Park. West Suburban Medical Center suspended patient care in March after a yearlong financial crisis, a loss that Village President Vicki Scaman called "frightening" at the time. Rush Oak Park Hospital is now the community's primary hospital.

What the deal includes

Endeavor Health, based in Evanston, will commit $1 billion from its endowment to the merged system. Of that, $300 million would go toward reducing healthcare disparities, $500 million toward expanding Rush University programs and research, and $200 million toward care quality and innovation, the Chicago Tribune reported.

All hospitals in the combined system would carry the Rush name. Endeavor's current hospitals, including Edward in Naperville, Elmhurst and Evanston, would be rebranded. Individual hospitals would keep their location names.

Endeavor Health President and CEO J.P. Gallagher will lead the merged organization. Rush President and CEO Dr. Omar Lateef, who had previously announced plans to retire in 2027, will stay through the close of the transaction and then serve as CEO emeritus and strategic advisor. A 20-person board with equal representation from both systems will govern the new entity.

The transaction is targeted to close in early 2027, pending state and federal regulatory approval.

Jobs and care access

When asked about potential layoffs, Lateef told the Tribune: "We're doing this to grow and we want to grow our footprint … We expect jobs to increase."

Lateef said the merger would improve patient access to clinical trials and allow care to move more seamlessly between hospitals. Gallagher said the merged system would likely open more outpatient sites.

Both organizations reported positive operating margins in 2026, according to financial statements. Fierce Healthcare reported Rush logged $4.4 billion in total operating revenue for the 12 months ending June 30, 2026. Endeavor reported $6.4 billion in total operating revenue for 2025, though it posted a $33.9 million operating loss that year.

Regulatory hurdles ahead

The deal still requires approval from state and federal regulators, who may scrutinize whether the combination would reduce competition and raise prices. Endeavor, then called NorthShore University HealthSystem, abandoned a planned merger with Advocate Health Care in 2017 after a federal judge sided with the Federal Trade Commission.

Gallagher said the two systems have already begun discussions with regulators and expects the "process to go smoothly."

Nurse union efforts add uncertainty

WBEZ reported it was unclear what the merger would mean for nurses at both systems. Nurses at Rush University Medical Center voted earlier in 2026 to unionize. Nurses at Edward Hospital in Naperville filed a petition for a union election the same week as the merger announcement.

The merger's early 2027 closing timeline means Oak Park patients are unlikely to see immediate changes. But the deal will determine the long-term direction of the hospital that now stands as the village's sole acute-care facility.