An Illinois board voted to deny an application from Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health to build an outpatient center in a South Side Chicago neighborhood where it wants to close its 170-year-old inpatient hospital, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Trinity filed a certificate of need application with the state last November for permission to open a $13 million, 13,000-square-foot outpatient care center about 2 miles away from the hospital it wants to close, Mercy Hospital & Medical Center in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood.
However, the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted 3-2 against the application after hours of testimony from critics who say it is no replacement for a full-service hospital and proponents who say urgent care services are needed in the neighborhood to improve access to those services.
Trinity has two weeks to ask to reappear before the board or submit more information about the outpatient center.
Last July, Trinity Health announced plans to close Mercy Hospital & Medical Center between Feb. 1 and May 31 of 2021, pending approval from state regulators.
Mercy Hospital said it can no longer sustain monthly operating losses of $4 million and that the aging facility needs more than $100 million in capital upgrades.
The Illinois review board unanimously rejected Dec. 15 Trinity's plan to close Mercy Hospital & Medical Center. Mercy does have a second opportunity to persuade the board and can still pursue closure in court. It can also close the facility and face fines.
Despite the review board's decision on the closure, Mercy Hospital said it remains committed to its plan to shut its doors.
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