Hi Everyone:

Some of our group aiming to stop the closure of Edward-Elmhurst Fitness Center in Naperville turned out in front of EHFC to gather more signatures and  encourage people to attend or even speak at this Tuesday's (March 7, 2023) Naperville City Council Meeting.  You can just show to attend or you can sign to speak using this link (by 4:30 pm March 7).  Naperville City Council Speaker Signup

We had many people stop to sign, talk, or just give us a supportive honk of thumbs up!  It was very inspiring to all of us there.

Showing up in large numbers at the City Council meeting to speak or spectate is crucial to building public pressure to get Northshore University Health to keep EHFC open.  So please speak or attend!!

As for what to say at the meeting, perhaps speak about members you know that are older and for whom other health centers are not accessible. For example, one member stopped at our protest to recount how an older gentlemen who swam everyday to stay fit that was in tears and pounded on the locker room wall in frustration. Or another member whose son is profoundly autistic and that one month is not enough time to get him acclimated to another facility. For those of you not familiar with autism spectrum disorder, transitions or changes are so stressful that individuals with ASD will sometimes hurt themselves if pressed to much into a new situation.  The goal is to introduce them to environment many times, each time taking an additional step to become acquainted with the space. This can take dozens of exposures, if not more. So a person with ASD cannot just show up at a the Seven Bridges facility and just jump in the pool.  Lastly, the pool is much smaller and already crowded meaning it will be even more difficult to exercise in water.

These two brief profiles are part of many, many incidents of unneeded injury and angst caused by an abrupt decision with quite obviously no consideration whatsoever on the well-being of the members, community or employees.  Even more incredulous is how this malady was wrought by a non-profit healthcare company (who posted a $1.3 BILLION surplus for their 2021 fiscal year - see page 5 of this audit report)  Is it any wonder the US healthcare system is one of the most expensive in the world and one with the worst outcomes of many industrialized nations.  We can together make a contribution to change that story by continuing to pressure Northshore to engage the community. 

It would be very effective if you left a voice mail for both Gerry JP Gallagher, CEO of Northshore by calling 1-847-570-2000 or the president of Edward-Elmhurst Yvette Saba at 331-221-8000.

Thank you again so much for all your support. Please continue to share the petition and contract your state representative and senator, as will as Naperville City Council (Council@naperville.il.us).

My best to all,

Steve