Prime Healthcare to suspend obstetric services at 3 hospitals

Key Points:

• Prime Healthcare will suspend obstetric services at St. Joseph Medical Center (Joliet), Mercy Medical Center (Aurora), and Resurrection Medical Center (Chicago) starting October 1, centralizing these services at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital (Chicago) and Olympia Fields Hospital.
• The decision is attributed to financial challenges, declining birth rates, and low delivery volumes at the affected hospitals, each averaging fewer than one delivery per day; suspensions may be reversed if demand increases.
• Approximately 75 full-time nurses will be impacted but offered alternative positions within Prime, which currently has 331 job openings including 11 OB roles.
• Prime will invest $1 million in community maternal health initiatives and expand prenatal and postpartum care access, while the move aligns with broader healthcare trends of consolidating specialized services to improve quality and safety.
• The changes have faced criticism from nurses and community members concerned about reduced local access to obstetric care, with unions planning strikes and some lawmakers expressing opposition amid ongoing financial pressures on Illinois hospitals.