I worked IT for the University of Chicago hospitals for a while in college, and was responsible for the systems at the dialysis center on 55th street. It was utterly heartbreaking to me; the stoicism of the patients (the vast, vast majority of whom were locals in the UofC parlance -- read, "black and poor"), the genuine hard work of the nurses and nurses aides; and just the overall sense of agony in the building. It was rough, and only made rougher because I could leave.