HSHS St. Mary's Hospital in Decatur, Ill., is seeking state approval to discontinue the service lines of advanced inpatient rehabilitation, obstetrics and newborn nursery, pediatrics and inpatient behavioral health services, according to a Jan. 23 news release shared with Becker's.
The hospital, part of Springfield, Ill.-based Hospital Sisters Health System, said it is submitting an application for these initial changes to the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review on Jan. 31.
"First and foremost, please be assured that HSHS is committed to keeping HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital open and on the current Decatur campus," St. Mary's President and CEO Theresa Rutherford said in the release. "We intend to be in Decatur for decades to come."
But the hospital said the lingering effects of the pandemic, multiple years of lagging patient volumes, increased labor costs and an uncertain economy have prompted it to respond.
That response includes modernization plans to discontinue service lines of advanced inpatient rehabilitation, obstetrics and newborn nursery, pediatrics and inpatient behavioral health services. More than 20 other patient services at St. Mary's are available to patients. HSHS Medical Group Pediatrics in Decatur will remain open.
The hospital continues to meet with affected workers about opportunities to transition to a different role, a spokesperson told Becker's.
"We sincerely hope to retain these compassionate and caring professionals within our system. If these service discontinuation requests are approved by the state, patients who may be impacted will be directly notified in coming months," the hospital said.
Ms. Rutherford said the modernization plans at St. Mary's also include investing about $90 million for a major infrastructure renovation of the current facility. More information about that project is forthcoming.