Prime Healthcare ending obstetrics services at 3 Chicago-area hospitals on Thursday
Prime Healthcare will end obstetrics services at three Chicago area hospitals on Thursday.
Obstetric services will end at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago, and Mercy Medical Center in Aurora.
The company plans to centralize OB care at two other hospitals — St. Mary of Nazareth in Ukrainian Village and Olympia Fields Hospital in south suburban Olympia Fields.
A prime health care spokesperson said consolidating care will be better for parents and babies in the long run because it centralizes care by a huge team of specialists.
Registered nurses at St. Joseph held a rally on Wednesday to condemn the closure of the obstetrics and special care nursery departments.
Nurses worry traveling farther for maternal care will have a negative impact. The closest options for would-be St. Joseph patients are Silver Cross Hospital, which is about 10 miles away, or Olympia Fields Hospital, nearly 30 miles away.
Mercy Medical Center's expecting moms in Aurora will be welcomed at Edward Hospital in Naperville, 12 miles away.
People planning to deliver at Resurrection in Norwood Park can go to Lutheran General Hospital or Community First Medical Center.
The nurses said the closures threaten the health of mothers and babies.
"You can have a completely normal pregnancy and suddenly have a serious complication. A mother can start bleeding, her blood pressure can suddenly become dangerously high, a baby can suddenly be in distress," Kim Craig, special care nursery RN, said.
A spokesperson for Prime Healthcare said Resurrection averages less than one birth a day, which makes it "difficult to sustain." However, low delivery rates and financial distress are not acceptable reasons to stop maternal care, according to these nurses.
The union is urging Prime to come to the bargaining table to negotiate with the nurses on a new contract. Their current contract with Prime expires in January.
Dr. Maria Munoz with Resurrection Medical Center OBGYN told CBS News Chicago she is looking for another hospital for delivery for her patients.
"A lot of doctors do not accept patients after 34 weeks so they're just going to show up in some emergency room to be delivered by whomever who they've never met, don't have a relationship with," Munoz said.
Munoz said more and more hospitals will stop doing deliveries because it's not profitable. More than a thousand people have signed her online petition, calling on the state to regulate how quickly maternal care units can be closed.
Prime Healthcare took over eight Ascension Illinois hospitals in 2025.
Statement from Saint Joseph Medical Center – Joliet, Resurrection Medical Center, and Mercy Medical Center
For many years, Saint Joseph Medical Center – Joliet, Resurrection Medical Center, and Mercy Medical Center have provided compassionate, award-winning care to their communities, including high-quality inpatient obstetric (OB) services. However, in recent years demand for inpatient OB services has dropped precipitously across these service areas. Saint Joseph now averages fewer than one delivery per day and fewer than 20 deliveries per month; Resurrection now averages fewer than one delivery per day and fewer than 25 deliveries per month; and Mercy now averages fewer than one delivery per day and fewer than 15 deliveries per month.
This trend reflects a broader regional decline in births. Will County births have declined by more than 30 percent over the past 20 years, from 9,822 births in 2005 to 6,835 births in 2023. Cook County births have declined by more than 30 percent, from 79,000 births in 2005 to 50,700 births in 2023. Kane County births have declined by more than 30 percent, from 8,600 births in 2005 to 5,494 births in 2023.
At the same time, local public health data across Will, Cook, Kane and Chicago point to chronic diseases—including heart disease, stroke, and cancer—as among the most significant health concerns facing these communities. These conditions are among the leading drivers of hospitalization, specialty treatment, advanced diagnostics, procedural care, and ongoing healthcare needs. Prime Healthcare has made the strategic decision to temporarily suspend these low-volume OB service lines, effective Oct. 1, so each hospital may concentrate resources on services that align with its community's most pressing needs, including:
· At Saint Joseph Medical Center – Joliet: advanced neurosurgical and spinal surgery capabilities supported by new state-of-the-art imaging, mapping and surgical technologies; a new ambulatory surgery center to expand access to high-quality outpatient care; and nearly $13 million invested, with $18.5 million projected, in new medical equipment and plant improvements.
· At Resurrection Medical Center: investments of $2.7 million in 2025 and already more than $1.7 million so far in 2026, including implementation of 3D mammography to significantly enhance breast cancer detection rates; and its continued role as a safety-net provider, delivering $4,352,617 in charity care and $21,621,950 in uncompensated care in 2025.
· At Mercy Medical Center: expanded access to essential services, including the re-establishment of Mercy's cardiac program; and continued investment in behavioral health services, including 61 dedicated behavioral health/psychiatric beds and 9 licensed geriatric-psychiatry inpatient beds.
Research has consistently shown that low-volume services are associated with worse outcomes, including higher complication rates, higher mortality rates, and longer patient stays. Therefore, Prime Healthcare plans to transition obstetrical services to regional Birthing Centers of Excellence at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital and Olympia Fields Hospital, where experienced multidisciplinary teams and sufficient volume can support safe, high-quality care.
Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital and Olympia Fields have the capacity, volume, and expertise to provide the very best standards of care for expecting mothers across the Chicagoland community, as well as robust partnerships with local FQHCs including Aunt Martha's and PrimeCare Community Health Centers. Saint Mary of Nazareth has a total of 18 post-partum beds and an occupancy rate of 19.5 percent, while Olympia Fields has 15 L&D and post-partum beds with 51.4 percent utilization.
These suspensions are temporary and could be reversed, pending increased demand. Saint Joseph Medical Center – Joliet, Resurrection Medical Center, and Mercy Medical Center will continue to provide high-quality outpatient and emergency OB services through their Emergency Departments and Medical Group settings, including outpatient surgeries, imaging, and lab services. We will support impacted OB patients and their families through referrals to, and partnerships with, excellent nearby local hospitals. Staff whose employment has been affected by these temporary suspensions are being offered positions within their hospital or another Prime Healthcare facility.
Each hospital's highest priority remains quality, the health of our patients, and meeting the evolving needs of our communities. To ensure seamless continuity of care for obstetrics patients, Saint Joseph Medical Center – Joliet is working closely with Silver Cross Hospital, about 9 miles away; Resurrection Medical Center is working closely with Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and Community First Medical Center, both only about 4 miles away; and Mercy Medical Center is working closely with Rush Copley Medical Center, only about 7 miles away.
During this time, we are especially grateful to our Saint Joseph, Resurrection, and Mercy teams, who remain focused on providing quality, compassionate care to our patients. Every affected position will be offered a role within the Prime Healthcare Illinois system, so these transitions should not lead to job losses. At Saint Joseph Medical Center – Joliet, there is currently at least one open full-time position for each of the 26 full-time RNs impacted. At Resurrection Medical Center, there are currently 67 open RN positions that can be offered to each of the 33 full-time RNs impacted. At Mercy Medical Center, there are double the number of open full-time positions for each of the 16 full-time RNs impacted. Across Prime's Illinois system, there are 331 openings, including 11 open OB positions.
Our goal is to ensure Saint Joseph, Resurrection, and Mercy can thrive and serve Illinois families for generations to come. Through careful stewardship of resources and a data-driven understanding of our communities' needs, we are confident they will.
Statement from The Chicago Medical Society
"Ensuring the long-term success and sustainability of hospitals is essential to maintaining access to high-quality care in our communities. This often requires the strategic realignment of services to better reflect evolving healthcare needs, eliminate duplication, and strengthen the delivery of essential services where they are most needed.
The Chicago Medical Society supports the thoughtful service line adjustments being implemented at the former Ascension hospitals under Prime Healthcare's leadership. As a physician-founded and physician-led organization, Prime Healthcare shares our deep commitment to patient-centered care, clinical excellence, and community health.
Faced with significant financial challenges, these hospitals are undergoing necessary changes that will position them to serve their communities more effectively for generations to come. Prime Healthcare's national reputation for revitalizing hospitals and earning top accolades in quality, safety, and equity, reinforces our confidence in their stewardship. Prime Healthcare has already established a new nonprofit foundation model for physicians and have transitioned the hospitalist program from a third-party private equity firm to their nonprofit Prime Healthcare Foundation.
By creating centers of excellence and investing in unmet community needs, this model ensures that each hospital can offer exceptional care while preserving access to services across the region. We support Prime Healthcare's commitment to ensuring sustainable, compassionate, and high-quality care in Illinois."
