On Saturday, a crowd of frustrated protesters gathered outside a northwest suburban hospital to protest the hospital’s decision to discontinue labour and delivery services.
The closure, which is pending approval by the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, was announced earlier this week.
Ascension Alexian Brothers Hospital in Elk Grove Village told NBC 5 that it plans to consolidate birthing services and create a “dedicated labour and delivery centre of excellence” at another hospital about 10 miles away.
In a statement, Ascension Illinois stated, “Decisions made across the market are always led by what is best for our patients.”
“By continually assessing care delivery models and needs, we can best achieve long-term sustainability, navigate our evolving healthcare environment, and support our talented associates and clinicians who are dedicated to advancing our Mission of providing exceptional care to all persons, with special attention to those most vulnerable,” said a portion of the declaration.
Community members, as well as labour and delivery workers, reacted negatively to the decision. A group of people spent part of their holiday weekend rallying outside the hospital, fighting to keep services running in Elk Grove Village.
“We plan to raise awareness that we have a place in this community. “We serve the underserved and intend to continue doing so,” said labour and delivery nurse Kaylyn Krolicki.
“This closure is not consistent with the hospital’s mission and values, which were established hundreds of years ago; however, in the 1960s, the brothers moved in and wanted to promote the healing of all people. And when you deny access and care to any group of people, whether it is women or marginalised groups, you are violating your mission.”
According to a 2024 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, hospitals across the country are rapidly closing their labour and delivery units, particularly in rural areas.
“This is a national issue at this point and it is coming to our area,” Krolicki informed the crowd. “We are a major metropolitan suburb… how is this happening here?”
According to NBC 5, Ascension Illinois is focussing on improving patient care by assessing the most effective delivery locations in their communities. Decisions across the market are always guided by what is best for our patients. We owe it to the people we serve to provide the best care possible.”
Dr. David Bordo, the Interim Chief Medical Officer at Ascension Alexian Brothers, said in a statement:
“The establishment of centres of excellence is quickly becoming best practice throughout healthcare, particularly in the Chicagoland area.
Community hospitals are no longer able to provide all services to all patients while maintaining the high quality outcomes that we and our patients expect. We have seen several other systems take similar approaches in orthopaedics, cardiovascular surgery, and neurosurgery.”
The final decision to close the unit will be made by the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board.
