March 06--Dozens of demonstrators protesting the lack of trauma care on the South Side briefly blocked northbound traffic during rush hour on Michigan Avenue near Water Tower Place on Thursday evening.
The group's protest at Michigan Avenue and Pearson Street was timed to coincide with a University of Chicago alumni event related to a U. of C. $4.5 billion fundraising campaign roughly a block away at the Ritz Carlton. Some of the protesters had chained themselves to traffic signal posts and said they were going to stay put until they were arrested. Police began arriving around 6 p.m. and had detained nine of the protesters blocking the roadway by 6:45 p.m.
Most of the remaining protesters moved to the Ritz Carlton, on Pearson half a block east of Michigan, to protest outside the alumni event.
Organizers said they were drawing attention to the U. of C. event because they think a South Side trauma center should be opened before a decision is made on the Obama presidential library. U. of C. is one of two Chicago contenders for the library, and a final decision on the matter is just weeks away.
U. of C. has an emergency room and a pediatric trauma center that doesn't treat adults, though officials announced late last year that they plan to expand care to 16- and 17-year-olds who are seriously injured. Trauma centers, with on-site specialists and research expertise, offer care beyond that of typical emergency rooms, which are well-equipped to treat broken ankles but less prepared for massive bleeding from bullet wounds.
Reached for comment, a U. of C. spokesman said the university can't shoulder the construction of an Level 1 adult trauma center alone, contending that such an effort would require coordination and planning by the city, state and health care providers throughout Chicago.
Thursday's fundraiser was related to the university's "Inquiry and Impact" capital campaign, launched in October 2014, with a goal of $4.5 billion. Activists said the cost of a trauma center amounts to less than 1 percent of that amount.
mmrodriguez@tribpub.com
