The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board on June 27 unanimously approved a request from HSHS St. Mary's Hospital to shutter four of its units, according to the Herald & Review.
The Decatur, Ill.-based hospital will wrap up its advanced inpatient rehabilitation, obstetrics and newborn nursery, pediatrics and inpatient behavioral health services. HSHS St. Mary's said it notified employees in affected service areas of the proposed closures in January.
The hospital cited declining patient volumes, increasing labor costs and ongoing financial challenges — including a $20 million loss in the 2022 fiscal year — as reasons for the service reductions, according to the report.
"St. Mary's Hospital is committed to the community of Decatur, and these changes are to ensure the fiscal stability of the hospital and continued delivery of high-quality Franciscan Catholic healthcare at our facility into the future," Theresa Rutherford, president and CEO of St. Mary's Hospital, said. "We are working closely with multiple care providers throughout the region to further ensure that patients affected by these changes are transitioned to service providers to meet their needs."