Prime Healthcare plans to suspend obstetric care at three of its Illinois hospitals \u2014 saying it will centralize the services at two of its other hospitals and invest in maternal health in the community.<\/p>\n
Prime is suspending OB services at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Mercy Medical Center in Aurora and Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago, effective Oct. 1, Prime said in a news release and statement Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Prime plans to \u201ccentralize and strengthen\u201d OB services at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago and Olympia Fields Hospital in Olympia Fields.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cConcentrating maternity services at established centers like Saint Mary\u2019s ensures the highest levels of quality and patient safety, addressing maternal health disparities,\u201d said Dr. Devyani Chawla, director of the Birthing Center at St. Mary of Nazareth, in the news release.<\/p>\n
Prime said in the news release that it also decided to suspend OB services at the other three hospitals because, \u201cMany years of financial distress, changes in ownership, declining birth rates and volumes have made it impossible to ensure the very best quality of care for the patients served.\u201d <\/p>\n
Each of the three hospitals now averages fewer than one delivery a day, a Prime spokesperson said in a statement. Prime said the suspensions could be reversed if demand increases.<\/p>\n
About 75 full-time nurses will be affected by the changes, according to a statement from a Prime spokesperson. Each of the nurses will be offered another position within Prime. Prime now has 331 open positions, including 11 open OB roles, according to the statement.<\/p>\n
Kim Craig, a nurse at St. Joseph in Joliet who works in the hospital\u2019s special care nursery, said in a statement Tuesday provided by the Illinois Nurses Association that she was \u201csad and shocked\u201d by news of the suspensions. Craig is also a steward with the union and said she\u2019s worked in the nursery for more than 30 years.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep thinking how this could even be possible,\u201d Craig said, noting that Joliet is one of the largest cities in Illinois. \u201cOur patients need our services. I don\u2019t know how many times we have helped those who have delivered at home, who have had maternal medical emergencies, who have had complicated pregnancies. I am heartbroken over this news for the community, and for myself.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Along with the changes, Prime said it will offer $1 million in grants for maternal health initiatives in its communities, and it will expand its work with providers in its communities to strengthen access to prenatal and postpartum care.<\/p>\n
The announcement Tuesday represents the latest in a string of changes Prime has made since buying eight Illinois hospitals<\/a> last year from Ascension and purchasing a ninth<\/a>, Olympia Fields, earlier this year. Prime is a for-profit company based in California.<\/p>\n Previously, Prime suspended OB services<\/a> at St. Mary\u2019s Hospital in Kankakee. Recently, Prime also asked the state Health Facilities and Services Review Board for permission to close the inpatient pediatrics unit<\/a> at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet.<\/p>\n Many of Prime\u2019s changes have drawn criticism from nurses unions and lawmakers<\/a>. Nurses at St. Mary of Nazareth were already planning to go on a one-day strike<\/a> later this week as they try to reach their first contract with Prime.<\/p>\n