Mercyhealth, which has seven hospitals in Wisconsin and Illinois, filed an application with the Illinois Health and Services Review Board to end inpatient services at Javon Bea Hospital-Rockton next year, local news station WTVO reported Nov. 24.
The health system said it will discontinue all inpatient services at its Rockford, Ill.-based hospital on Jan. 12 and start work in December to transition the hospital to an outpatient-only facility. The health system initially announced plans to discontinue inpatient services in August 2020.
The Rockford-based health system also said it would move the Rockton hospital's inpatient services to Javon Bea Hospital-Riverside. The Riverside campus is also in Rockford.
Specifically, Mercyhealth said it will move medical/surgical inpatient beds from its Rockton campus to its Riverside campus on Dec. 15 and transition to a standby emergency department at Rockton on Dec. 20.
Mercyhealth said the discontinuation of inpatient care is necessary after it saw decreased emergency department and surgery volume amid the pandemic. It also cited a nursing shortage.
"Given the severe nursing and healthcare staffing shortages right now, it doesn't make sense to continue down our current course," Mercyhealth President and CEO Javon Bea told WTVO. "Realigning services across our one hospital license, located between two campuses, allows us to provide a more robust outpatient facility at Rockton and expand our inpatient campus at Riverside."
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