CSPL Push Reopens Chicagoland Hospital for COVID Patients

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Congratulations to our friends at the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) for their successful push to reopen Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, outside Chicago.

This intriguing organization does leadership development training and community organizing rooted in a Catholic model. Based in Chicago’s blue-collar Western suburbs, CSPL offers parish-based training for community activists. CSPL has drawn an outsized share of attention lately, first with coverage in a recent edition of Commonweal (“Modeling Change“) and then campaigning for Illinois Governor Pritzker to reopen a much-needed, shuttered community hospital as part of the area’s covid-19 response. As the Chicago Tribune noted,

[Rep Emanuel] Welch was joined on a conference call Friday morning by Maria Franco, a board member of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, who also praised the Governor’s move.

“We are working together to address this crisis,” Franco said. “The community really came together for this. Many signed petitions and our CSPL members pushed to get allies and supporters. It was definitely a beacon of hope when the news came out that our governor was going to reopen this hospital.”

CLICK HERE for the Tribune’s full coverage!