Expectant mothers in the fourth-largest city in Illinois soon won’t have a hometown hospital to go to when it’s time to have their babies.
Prime Healthcare on Tuesday announced plans to suspend obstetrician services at Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet and two other Illinois hospitals,
Prime is suspending OB healthcare at Saint Joseph, Mercy Medical Center in Aurora and Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago, effective Oct. 1.
In a statement to Shaw Local, Prime Healthcare said that the closure at Saint Joseph in Joliet was triggered by a drop in demand.
“In recent years, demand for inpatient OB services has dropped precipitously. Saint Joseph now averages fewer than one delivery per day and fewer than 20 deliveries per month,” a company spokesman said.
“Will County births have declined by more than 30% over the past 20 years, from 9,822 births in 2005 to 6,835 births in 2023,” the spokesman said.
Prime said it is directing pregnant patients to other hospitals in Chicago and Olympia Fields. They are also reportedly working in conjunction with Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox to transition current patients’ care.
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“We’re putting a lot of mothers at risk,” Joliet City Council Member Jan Quillman said. “They have to get to the hospital quick.”
Quillman is a nurse who previously worked at Silver Cross Hospital.
“Shame on them for putting our residents at risk after all these years of being in Joliet,” Quillman said of Prime Healthcare’s decision at the longtime Joliet hospital.
Quillman said she was first hearing Tuesday about the decision to end obstetrics care at Saint Joseph Medical Center.
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Mayor Terry D’Arcy did not immediately return a call for comment on the latest cutback at the city’s only hospital.
Silver Cross Hospital, located in New Lenox and near the Joliet city limits, is seeing about 10 times the number of births at its hospital than what Prime says it is seeing at Saint Joseph Medical Center.
Silver Cross also has expanded its maternal care while Prime Healthcare looks to cut back in Joliet.
Silver Cross averages about 258 deliveries a month, or 3,100 a year, spokeswoman Deb Robbins said.
“We also have Will County’s only neonatal intensive care unit featuring 24 private, single-family rooms,” Robbins said in an email
The unit opened in July 2022 and has provided care for more than 1,000 babies needing specialized care, she said.
State Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, issued a statement about the Prime decision.
“I am deeply concerned by the closure of the NICU and OB unit at St. Joe’s Hospital and the impact this decision will have on the nurses who have dedicated themselves to caring for patients and families in our community,” Ventura said.
“Closures driven by financial considerations can have significant consequences for the communities these hospitals serve,” she added.
Prime said the closure could be reversed if demand increases and called the choice a “strategic decision,” and suggested it is pivoting resources to focus on more needed services.
“By contrast [to OB services], Will County Health Department data shows that heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other chronic conditions remain important health concerns that can require advanced inpatient, procedural, and surgical services,” Prime’s statement said.
The California-based for-profit healthcare company said research shows that “low-volume services are associated with worse outcomes, including higher complication rates, higher mortality rates, and longer patient stays. Therefore, Prime Healthcare plans to transition obstetrical services to regional Birthing Centers of Excellence at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital [in Chicago] and Olympia Fields Hospital, where experienced multidisciplinary teams and sufficient volume can support safe, high-quality care.”
Prime did not state whether it has seen such complications arise from the low volume in Joliet.
About 26 full-time nurses and one physician will be affected by the changes at Saint Joseph, said a spokesman for Prime Healthcare, adding that “every affected position will be offered a role within the Prime Healthcare Illinois system.”
It is not guaranteed that these roles will be at nearby hospitals.
“While I recognize that this was not a decision made lightly by the St. Joe’s administration, it is critical that the hospital provide nurses with the training, resources, and support they need to make a successful transition to another unit, should they choose to do so,” Ventura said.
“This moment underscores the importance of continuing the broader conversation about universal health care and ensuring that every person has equitable access to high-quality care, regardless of their circumstances,” she said.
Prime Healthcare announced it was acquiring the Joliet hospital located at 333 Madison St., along with numerous other hospitals owned by Ascension throughout Illinois in 2024. Prime officially took over ownership of these Illinois hospitals in March 2025.