Joliet's St. Joseph Hospital Shuts Maternal Care Unit, Raising Fears for Expectant Mothers

JOLIET, Ill. (Illinois State News) -- St. Joseph's Hospital in Joliet ended its obstetrics, gynecology and maternal care services on Wednesday, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from local healthcare workers who say the closure could leave some of the region's most vulnerable patients without nearby access to labor and delivery care.

The hospital is owned by the for-profit chain Prime Healthcare, which said the decision was driven by overall financial difficulties and what the company describes as a declining birthrate in Will County. Prime is not limiting the change to Joliet. The company also plans to end routine maternal care at Resurrection Hospital in Chicago and Mercy Medical Center in suburban Aurora.

At the same time, Prime announced it will expand maternal care at two other area hospitals, including St. Mary of Nazareth in Chicago and Olympia Fields hospital in suburban Olympia Fields.

A spokesperson for Prime told NBC 5 that the affected hospitals will retain the ability to handle urgent cases. All three facilities, the statement said, will remain comprehensive 24-hour emergency hospitals, and their emergency physicians and clinical teams are trained to evaluate and stabilize obstetric emergencies. When specialized care is required and a transfer is clinically appropriate, the company said established protocols and transfer agreements will support safe transfer to an accepting hospital. If transfer is not safe because delivery or another emergency intervention is imminent, the facilities will provide the necessary care, including delivery when required.

Local nurses, however, say the reality for some patients may be more dire, particularly as staff have already been dealing with layoffs and cutbacks.

"Our biggest impacted population is that low income and minority populations in this area who don't have the ability to travel to these other locations," said Cristina Vanoskey, a nurse who specializes in labor and pediatric care. "So they come to us very often in some kind of distress."

Vanoskey said she was told she would be losing her job as part of the closure. She and other healthcare professionals expressed concern that the shift could mean life or death for expectant mothers and their newborns who depend on the hospital as their nearest option for delivery and maternal care.

The closure underscores a growing pattern in Illinois, where for-profit operators have closed or scaled back obstetric units at several hospitals in recent years, often citing finances and low birth volumes. Advocates argue that these closures disproportionately affect rural and low-income communities that may be forced to travel longer distances to receive care.

Prime Healthcare did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.