Lightfoot: I did 'what needed to be done' to save Mercy Hospital

CHICAGO - Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot responded on Wednesday to critics of the deal with the new operator of Mercy Hospital.

The non-profit group Insight Chicago took over Mercy on Tuesday. The group made a deal with the city to operate it as a full-service hospital in Bronzeville until at least 2029.

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Lightfoot says she will not apologize for doing what needed to be done to keep the hospital open.

"All we have to do is look at what happened with Metro South," Lightfoot said. "Several years in, lots of energy around getting that hospital reopened, nothing's happened yet. I have a responsibility as mayor to do the thing that I believe is in the best interest of the people of this city."

If Mercy had closed, Lightfoot says it never would have come back.