Rockford, Ill.-based Mercyhealth acquired Freeport, Ill.-based FHN, a 100-bed hospital with eight outpatient facilities, effective Jan. 1, 2026.
The affiliation received approval from the Illinois attorney general, allowing the organizations to move forward with closing on Dec. 31. FHN has been renamed Mercyhealth FHN. The hospital’s board of directors approved the affiliation agreement in September.
“[Mercyhealth] saw a lot of potential to grow their market share, but also to grow FHN’s potential — our services and our people, and our own market share,” FHN President and CEO Mark Gridley said in a Dec. 31 news release. “They saw the potential to grow FHN and Mercyhealth as a regional medical center, not just keep the doors open, but invest in improving local healthcare.”
As the integration progresses, FHN is entering a period of leadership transition.
Departures from the executive team include Mr. Gridley; Chief Human Resource Director Len Carter; CFO Mike Clark; and Executive Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer and COO Kathy Martinez. The hospital credited them for their dedication and role in preparing FHN for the future.
FHN’s operations and commitment to patients, staff and the community will remain unchanged, and care delivery will continue uninterrupted, according to the hospital.
Mercyhealth now operates seven hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin. In July, it closed Javon Bea Hospital-Rockton in Rockford, citing decreased emergency and surgical volumes. Services at the facility had been scaled back or consolidated to other Mercyhealth sites in recent years, according to the Rockford Register Star.
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