St. Elizabeth's Hospital and Memorial Hospital, which are both located in Belleville, Ill., are battling over St. Elizabeth's plan to build a new facility in O'Fallon, Ill., according to The Belleville News Democrat.
Memorial Hospital is building a second facility in O'Fallon, a wealthier and faster-growing area than Belleville. At the same time, St. Elizabeth's submitted its plan to move its operations to a new $253 million facility located about five minutes from Memorial's new hospital. Memorial strongly opposed St. Elizabeth's plan.
A St. Elizabeth's administrator wrote a letter to the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board claiming Memorial had ill intentions for opposing the deal. "What Memorial really wants is for St. Elizabeth's to continue to have to provide care in an old, out-of-date building that is difficult to access," the administrator wrote in the letter, according to the report.
Memorial COO Michael McManus disputed St. Elizabeth's claims. If St. Elizabeth's were to shut down its Belleville facility, Mr. McManus said it will change the healthcare delivery system in the area and lead to underserved residents in Belleville having limited access to healthcare.
However, even with Memorial voicing its dissatisfaction, the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board approved of St. Elizabeth's plan to close its Belleville facility and relocate to O'Fallon, according to a News-Democrat report.
After the board approved the plan, Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert, who opposed the move, told the News-Democrat the city would consider a legal appeal. "We're going to talk with our legal team and discuss what our next step might be," Mr. Eckert told the publication.
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