By Keaundrey Clark Mercy Hospital, an institution whose doors have been open since 1852, needed community support, and after weeks and months of protest, the State Health Facilities and Services Review Board met about the fate of the hospital on December 15. After a 6-0 vote, it was determined that Mercy Hospital wouldn’t be closing as surging COVID-19 cases spread across the country. “I think the fact that it was a 6-0 vote,” said registered nurse and Chicago Teachers Union Member Dennis Kosuth. “It means public pressure, public attention made politicians, local leaders stand up and take notice of the issues and lack of resources in Black and brown communities in Chicago.”