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Underwood among those voicing concerns after Prime Healthcare suspends obstetrician unit at Aurora hospital · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Underwood among those voicing concerns after Prime Healthcare suspends obstetrician
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  Speaker 1: unit at Aurora Hospital. Written by Eric Shelkoff. This article
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  Speaker 1: is being read by an automated voice brought to you
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  Speaker 1: by Everlit. Prime Healthcare is citing a drop in demand
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  Speaker 1: as the reason it will temporarily suspend obstetrician services at
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  Speaker 1: Mercy Medical Center in Aurora starting October 1st. For many years,
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  Speaker 1: Mercy Medical Center has provided compassionate, award-winning care to our community,
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  Speaker 1: including high-quality inpatient obstetric OB services, Prime Healthcare said in
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  Speaker 1: a statement. However, in recent years, demand for inpatient OB
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  Speaker 1: services has dropped precipitously, and Mercy now averages fewer than
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  Speaker 1: one delivery per day and fewer than 15 deliveries per month.
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  Speaker 1: Kane County births have declined by more than 30% over
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  Speaker 1: the past 20 years. from 8,600 births in 2005 to 5,494
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  Speaker 1: births in 2023. In contrast, Prime Healthcare said that according
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  Speaker 1: to Kane County public health assessments, chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke,
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  Speaker 1: and cancer, remain important health concerns. These conditions are among
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  Speaker 1: the leading drivers of hospitalization, specialty treatment, and ongoing healthcare
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  Speaker 1: needs in the community, company officials said. Prime Healthcare also
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  Speaker 1: is suspending obstetrician services at St. Joseph Medical Center in
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  Speaker 1: Joliet and Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago starting October 1st.
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  Speaker 1: The suspension is temporary and could be reversed, pending increased demand,
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  Speaker 1: Prime Healthcare said in the statement. Mercy Medical Center will
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  Speaker 1: continue to provide high-quality outpatient and emergency OB services through
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  Speaker 1: the emergency department and medical group settings, including outpatient surgeries, imaging,
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  Speaker 1: and lab services. company officials said. U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood, D. Naperville,
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  Speaker 1: is among those voicing concerns about Prime Healthcare halting its
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  Speaker 1: maternity services at Aurora and the other two hospitals. As
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  Speaker 1: a nurse and founder of the Black Maternal Health Caucus,
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  Speaker 1: I'm especially concerned about the impact these closures will have
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  Speaker 1: on communities of color across Illinois, Underwood said. Prime's assertion
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  Speaker 1: that consolidating obstetric care in the city of Chicago is
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  Speaker 1: somehow addressing maternal health disparities the families in Joliet and
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  Speaker 1: Aurora face is detached from reality. One in three Illinois
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  Speaker 1: counties is already a maternity care desert, and our moms
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  Speaker 1: need more support and convenient care, not less. She said
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  Speaker 1: Prime Healthcare's decision is consistent with the pattern of revenue-focused
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  Speaker 1: decisions and broken promises our community has witnessed. since Prime
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  Speaker 1: announced its acquisition of the non-profit Ascension system in 2024.
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  Speaker 1: Underwood said the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board
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  Speaker 1: has the power to stop Prime Healthcare from suspending its
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  Speaker 1: obstetrician services. I hope the state will take quick action
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  Speaker 1: to preserve access to obstetric and inpatient pediatric care in
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  Speaker 1: the areas affected, she said. In Joliet, city council members
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  Speaker 1: and local state legislators spoke out against halting maternity and
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  Speaker 1: obstetrics care at St. Joseph Medical Center. State Senator Rachel
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  Speaker 1: Ventura de Joliet said, I am deeply concerned by the
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  Speaker 1: closure of the NICU and OB unit at St. Joe's
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  Speaker 1: Hospital and the impact this decision will have on the
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  Speaker 1: nurses who have dedicated themselves to caring for patients and
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  Speaker 1: families in our community, Ventura said. Closures driven by financial
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  Speaker 1: considerations can have significant consequences for the communities these hospitals serve,
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  Speaker 1: she said. Prime Healthcare said Mercy Medical Center is working
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  Speaker 1: closely with Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora, which is
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  Speaker 1: located about seven miles from the facility, to ensure seamless
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  Speaker 1: continuity of care for our obstetrics patients. We will support
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  Speaker 1: impacted OB patients and their families through referrals to and
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  Speaker 1: partnerships with excellent nearby local hospitals, the company said. Kane
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  Speaker 1: County Public Health Executive Director Michael Isaacson said the health
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  Speaker 1: department is monitoring the situation and want to make sure
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  Speaker 1: our residents have the access to critical services that they need.
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  Speaker 1: If a resident needs to be connected to obstetrics care resources,
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  Speaker 1: they can contact the information and referral specialist at Kane
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  Speaker 1: County Health Department at 331-312-0060, he said. Staff affected by
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  Speaker 1: the temporary suspension are being offered positions within Mercy Medical
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  Speaker 1: Center or another Prime Healthcare facility, the company said. At
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  Speaker 1: Mercy Medical Center, there are double the amount of open
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  Speaker 1: full-time positions for each of the 16 full-time RNs impacted,
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  Speaker 1: officials said. Every affected position will be offered a role
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  Speaker 1: within the Prime Healthcare Illinois system, so this transition should
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  Speaker 1: not lead to job losses. Across Prime Healthcare's system in Illinois,
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  Speaker 1: there are 331 openings, including 11 Open OB positions.