{"id":1038733,"date":"2026-09-02T11:18:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T11:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1038733\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T11:18:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T11:18:28","slug":"prime-healthcare-suspending-obstetrics-unit-at-joliets-saint-joseph-medical-center-shaw-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1038733\/","title":{"rendered":"Prime Healthcare suspending obstetrics unit at Joliet\u2019s Saint Joseph Medical Center \u2013 Shaw Local"},"content":{"rendered":"

Expectant mothers in the fourth-largest city<\/a> in Illinois<\/a> soon won\u2019t have a hometown hospital to go to when it\u2019s time to have their babies.<\/p>\n

Prime Healthcare on Tuesday announced plans to suspend obstetrician services at Saint Joseph Medical Center<\/a> in Joliet<\/a> and two other Illinois<\/a> hospitals,<\/p>\n

Prime is suspending OB healthcare at Saint Joseph, Mercy Medical Center in Aurora<\/a> and Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago<\/a>, effective Oct. 1.<\/p>\n

In a statement to Shaw Local<\/a>, Prime Healthcare said that the closure at Saint Joseph in Joliet<\/a> was triggered by a drop in demand. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn 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,\u201d a company spokesman said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWill County<\/a> births have declined by more than 30% over the past 20 years, from 9,822 births in 2005 to 6,835 births in 2023,\u201d the spokesman said.<\/p>\n

Prime said it is directing pregnant patients to other hospitals in Chicago<\/a> and Olympia Fields. They are also reportedly working in conjunction with Silver Cross Hospital<\/a> in New Lenox to transition current patients\u2019 care.<\/p>\n

\"Saint<\/p>\n

Saint Joseph Medical Center Carolyn J. Czerkies Emergency Department on Thursday, August 6, 2026 in Joliet. (Gary Middendorf)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re putting a lot of mothers at risk,\u201d Joliet City Council Member Jan Quillman said. \u201cThey have to get to the hospital quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quillman is a nurse who previously worked at Silver Cross Hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cShame on them for putting our residents at risk after all these years of being in Joliet,\u201d Quillman said of Prime Healthcare\u2019s decision at the longtime Joliet hospital.<\/p>\n

Quillman said she was first hearing Tuesday about the decision to end obstetrics care at Saint Joseph Medical Center.<\/p>\n

\"Joliet<\/p>\n

Saint Joseph Town Hal Meeting Joliet City Council member Jan Quillman asks a question at the town hall to discuss Prime HealthCare’s acquisition of Saint Joseph Hospital on Oct 16, 2024, in Joliet. (Gary E Duncan Sr)<\/p>\n

Mayor Terry D\u2019Arcy did not immediately return a call for comment on the latest cutback at the city\u2019s only hospital.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Silver Cross also has expanded its maternal care while Prime Healthcare looks to cut back in Joliet.<\/p>\n

Silver Cross averages about 258 deliveries a month, or 3,100 a year, spokeswoman Deb Robbins said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also have Will County\u2019s only neonatal intensive care unit featuring 24 private, single-family rooms,\u201d Robbins said in an email<\/p>\n

The unit opened in July 2022 and has provided care for more than 1,000 babies needing specialized care, she said.<\/p>\n

\"State<\/p>\n

Saint Joseph Town Hal Meeting State Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, addresses the attendees at the town hall held to discuss Prime HealthCare’s acquisition of Saint Joseph Hospital on Oct 16, 2024 in Joliet. (Gary E Duncan Sr)<\/p>\n

State Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, issued a statement about the Prime decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am deeply concerned by the closure of the NICU and OB unit at St. Joe\u2019s Hospital and the impact this decision will have on the nurses who have dedicated themselves to caring for patients and families in our community<\/a>,\u201d Ventura said.<\/p>\n

\u201cClosures driven by financial considerations can have significant consequences for the communities these hospitals serve,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n

Prime said the closure could be reversed if demand increases and called the choice a \u201cstrategic decision,\u201d and suggested it is pivoting resources to focus on more needed services.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy contrast [to OB services], Will County Health<\/a> 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,\u201d Prime\u2019s statement said. <\/p>\n

The California-based for-profit healthcare company said research shows that \u201clow-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.\u201d <\/p>\n

Prime did not state whether it has seen such complications arise from the low volume in Joliet.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cevery affected position will be offered a role within the Prime Healthcare Illinois system.\u201d <\/p>\n

It is not guaranteed that these roles will be at nearby hospitals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I recognize that this was not a decision made lightly by the St. Joe\u2019s 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,\u201d Ventura said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis moment underscores the importance of continuing the broader conversation about universal health care<\/a> and ensuring that every person has equitable access to high-quality care, regardless of their circumstances,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Expectant mothers in the fourth-largest city in Illinois soon won\u2019t have a hometown hospital to go to when…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1038734,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[35],"tags":[1907,157108,210,1141,1142,6390,77535,728,277327,75391,67,132,68,17075],"class_list":["post-1038733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-breaking","tag-grundy-county-front-headlines","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-joliet","tag-kankakee-county-front-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-saint-joseph-medical-center","tag-shaw-local-front-headlines","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-will-county"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117201177795212904","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1038733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1038733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1038734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1038733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1038733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1038733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}