St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Illinois, to close pediatric unit
The new owner of St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet is shutting down its pediatric unit.
The Illinois Nurses Association announced and denounced the closure on Tuesday, saying it will leave thousands of Joliet children without a hospital nearby on which to rely.
Prime Healthcare, which took over St. Joseph in March, said the hospital's resources could be better used elsewhere given the loss of demand for the pediatric unit.
"As community needs continue to evolve, we have seen a steady and significant decline in
the demand for inpatient pediatric services, with the average inpatient census now less
than one patient per day," Prime healthcare said in a statement. "At the same time, the need for advanced surgical, neurosurgical, and spinal care has grown."
The hospital system said it is expanding other needed critical services, and has already invested in state-of-the-art technology to support those services.
The nurses' union said it intends to fight the pediatric unit closure.
In the meantime, the hospital's emergency room will still provide care to pediatric patients.
Prime Healthcare took over eight Ascension Illinois hospitals on March 1. They also included St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital and Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago, St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Holy Family Medical Center in Des Plaines, Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin, and St. Mary's Hospital in Kankakee.
