Prominent LGBTQ+ healthcare organization reducing staff, leading to community concern

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Howard Brown Health, a local healthcare and social services provider which focuses on the LGBTQ+ community and operates clinics all over Chicago, has announced it's laying off 43 employees.

Ronnie Peterson is with the Illinois Nurses Association which represents thirty of those employees being let go. She said everyone is worried about the patients.

“It’s hard to tell whether or not these patients are going to fall through the cracks or not,” Peterson said. “There’s going to be even more work left over on the employees who are still at Howard Brown, and we need to make sure these patients are accessing the care that they need.”

A spokesperson for Howard Brown Health released a statement saying, in part, that patient service will not be interrupted and that employees are getting 60-days notice and will get severance.

“While I know today’s news is difficult to hear, I want to emphasize that Howard Brown’s future is incredibly bright,” wrote Howard Brown Health Interim President & CEO Robin Gay. “We have so much to look forward to as we continue our legacy of empowering patients and advancing health equity.”

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