<body><div>Hospital Leadership Remains Silent<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0FSuMq_1Dqpaba100" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0FSuMq_1Dqpaba100" width="824" height="377" ></figure><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=00kTBu_1Dqpaba100" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=00kTBu_1Dqpaba100" width="1482" height="866" ></figure>Employees of Gateway Regional Medical Center have contacted the Granite City Gazette with concerns about the hospital’s current payroll situation, as questions continue to circulate regarding the financial condition of the hospital and its parent company.According to multiple Gateway employees who spoke with the Gazette, workers were instructed to pick up paper paychecks rather than receiving their usual payroll deposits. Employees said they were also warned not to cash or deposit the checks until they received an email authorizing them to do so.As of 9 p.m. Friday, July 31, employees who contacted the Gazette said they had not received that authorization.The Granite City Gazette is withholding the employees’ identities because of their concerns about possible workplace consequences. These reports raise serious and immediate questions because employees have apparently received checks representing earned wages but have not been told they may safely deposit them.Gateway Regional Medical Center announced May 29 that Joe Ottolino had been appointed the hospital’s chief executive officer.Before publishing this report, the Granite City Gazette sent a formal media inquiry to Ottolino and other hospital representatives requesting an explanation. The Gazette specifically asked hospital leadership to address Gateway’s financial stability, payroll obligations and the possible effect of ongoing litigation involving American Healthcare Systems and its ownership.As of publication, neither Ottolino nor another representative of Gateway Regional Medical Center or American Healthcare Systems had responded.Among the questions submitted by the Gazette were:• Are Gateway’s employee wages, payroll taxes, health insurance premiums, retirement contributions and other benefits fully funded and current?• Why were employees issued paper checks and instructed not to cash or deposit them until receiving further authorization?• Does Gateway presently have sufficient available funds to meet payroll and continue operating all existing services?• Are physicians, medical suppliers, contractors and other vendors being paid according to their agreements?• Are there plans to reduce services, close departments, eliminate positions or make other significant changes at Gateway?• What assurances can hospital leadership provide to employees, patients and the community concerning Gateway’s future?The concerns come as American Healthcare Systems and its owner, Mike Sarian, face contested civil litigation involving allegations about the movement and use of hospital funds. One complaint alleges that at least $14 million was diverted from Healthcare Systems of America corporate accounts between September 2024 and January 2026, impairing the affected hospitals’ ability to meet payroll and other obligations. Those allegations have not been proven in court, and Sarian has denied wrongdoing.The litigation does not, by itself, establish that funds were improperly removed from Gateway or that the hospital is unable to meet its obligations. The Gazette has not obtained evidence showing that the money identified in the Florida litigation came from Gateway Regional Medical Center.However, the reported paycheck instructions make questions about Gateway’s local finances more urgent and deserving of a direct response.Gateway Regional Medical Center is owned through American Healthcare Systems Illinois LLC, a subsidiary of American Healthcare Systems. The company acquired the Granite City hospital in 2023.Gateway is not only a private business. It is a major local employer and an essential provider of emergency and medical care. Any uncertainty involving employee wages, staffing or the hospital’s continued financial stability affects far more than those who work inside the building.Employees deserve to know when they will have access to the wages they have earned. Patients and residents also deserve a clear statement about whether the hospital remains financially secure and whether services are at risk.The Granite City Gazette remains prepared to publish Gateway Regional Medical Center’s response in full or update this report as soon as hospital leadership provides verifiable information.This is a developing story.</div></body>

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Employees of Gateway Regional Medical Center have contacted the Granite City Gazette with concerns about the hospital’s current payroll situation, as questions continue to circulate regarding the financial condition of the hospital and its parent company. According to multiple Gateway employees who spoke with the Gazette, workers were instructed...

Gateway Employees Report Paycheck Delay as

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Employees of Gateway Regional Medical Center have contacted the Granite City Gazette with concerns about the hospital’s current payroll situation, as quest

Gateway Employees Report Paycheck Delay as

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