Elk Grove Village officials decry proposed closure of hospital’s maternity ward
Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson and village officials have joined nurses in speaking out against the proposed closure of Ascension Alexian Brothers Medical Center’s maternity ward, decrying an ongoing decline of services at the community hospital.
The hospital at 800 Biesterfield Road plans to discontinue its 28-bed inpatient obstetrics department and consolidate those services — including all baby deliveries — at its sister hospital, Saint Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates.
Johnson argued that inpatient pregnancy care is especially needed now in Elk Grove amid an increase in younger families moving to the village, and he questioned if Saint Alexius would be able to handle the influx.
“We want Alexian Brothers back to what we’ve all known and loved for 60 years,” Johnson said at a village board meeting this week. “The sad part is, they are changing. Unfortunately, it’s not quite the hospital we all remembered for a lot of years.”
Though Johnson lauded the hospital’s cardiology and neurosciences departments, he said he doesn’t want to see the facility become a “specialty hospital.”
“A maternity ward is the heart and soul of a hospital,” he said. “That brings in your patients for a lifetime. It’s what you expect in a community hospital.”
Ascension Illinois executives will discuss the proposed transition during a community forum from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Elk Grove Village Library.
David Bordo, the hospital system’s interim chief medical officer, said officials have given a great deal of thought to transitioning inpatient obstetric care to Saint Alexius in light of its broader scope of related services, such as having a level III neonatal intensive care unit.
“Across healthcare, and certainly here in the Chicagoland area, the creations of centers of excellence are quickly becoming best practice,” Bordo wrote in a post on Ascension’s website. “Community hospitals no longer can provide all services to all patients while maintaining the excellent outcomes we, as well as our patients, expect.”
Ascension announced the move July 1, leading to a protest that morning by nursing staff outside the hospital. The employees soon turned their efforts toward lobbying the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board — which must approve any hospital’s request to drop service — as well as the village board, which could hold some sway.
Johnson said he and trustees are considering sending a formal objection letter to the state oversight board.
At the local board meeting Tuesday night, the mayor publicly complained of changes at the hospital as it’s undergone mergers and new ownership in recent years. The pending discontinuation of inpatient obstetrics follows similar cuts to the pulmonary, pediatrician and radiology departments, Johnson said.
But he said what has most upset village officials have been long wait times in the emergency room. Specifically, Elk Grove Village paramedics have waited up to two hours for a patient they transported to be accepted into the hospital, Johnson said.
That process has recently improved, he acknowledged.
Ascension has set Sept. 30 as the proposed final date of the maternity unit. Opponents have until July 29 to submit written requests for a public hearing before the state panel.