Rush University System for Health and Endeavor Health announced plans on Oct. 14 to merge, creating one of the Chicago area’s largest healthcare systems, with 12 hospitals, more than 400 care sites, and approximately 46,000 employees and clinicians.
The proposed combined organization would operate under the Rush name and serve more than 2 million patients annually across northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana. Endeavor Health will fund an additional $1 billion investment to support research, medical education, healthcare innovation, and community health initiatives, including efforts to address health disparities.
The merger would bring together Rush’s three hospitals — Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Rush Oak Park Hospital, and Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora — with Endeavor’s nine hospitals throughout Chicago and the suburbs. Endeavor Health formed in 2022 through the merger of NorthShore University HealthSystem and Edward-Elmhurst Health.
“Patients and communities will benefit from improved access, advanced research, and nationally recognized, high-quality care close to home,” said Gerald “JP” Gallagher, president and CEO of Endeavor Health, in the joint announcement.
If the merger receives regulatory approval, Gallagher would lead the combined system, while Rush President and CEO Omar Lateef, DO, would become CEO emeritus and strategic advisor. A 20-member board, with equal representation from both organizations and a chair from Rush, would oversee the system.
For patients, the health systems say the merger would expand opportunities to receive specialized care and participate in clinical trials closer to home. The proposed merger is not expected to bring immediate changes to patient care while regulators review it.
The organizations expect to complete the merger in early 2027, pending regulatory approval. However, hospital consolidation can also raise healthcare costs. Zachary Levinson, project director of the KFF Project on Hospital Costs, told WBEZ that mergers often reduce competition, potentially allowing hospitals to charge more for care.
Catherine Gianaro, a freelance writer and editor based in Chicago, has written about healthcare and higher education for more than three decades. With 90-plus awards in communications, she is well-versed in storytelling.
