The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board has approved Mishawaka, Ind.-based Franciscan St. James Health's plan to close its 312-bed hospital in Chicago Heights, Ill., according to the Chicago Tribune.
Franciscan St. James, part of Franciscan Alliance, will consolidate inpatient care at its hospital in Olympia Fields, Ill., about 5 miles from the Chicago Heights facility. Consolidating inpatient operations will save Franciscan between $18 million and $20 million annually, according to the report.
The system will spend about $115 million to expand and renovate its Olympia Fields hospital and will provide $1.5 million to cover increased ambulance coverage for patients who would have previously went to the Chicago Heights hospital to be taken to the Olympia Fields location.
Franciscan St. James first announced plans in January to close the hospital, saying it is too costly to operate both the Olympia Fields and Chicago Heights facilities. At that time, the system planned to end inpatient services at the hospital in October 2018 once renovations at the Olympia Fields hospital are completed.
According to the Chicago Tribune, parts of the Chicago Heights hospital will be torn down, but the system plans to continue to offer some outpatient services there.
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