Mercyhealth Javon Bea Hospital-Rockton in Rockford, Ill., transitioned to a standby emergency department May 6.
The standby classification requires the facility to have a registered nurse on duty for emergency services and a licensed physician to be on call in case of emergencies.
Mercyhealth leaders said the transition came after an "extensive evaluation" that found most patients accessing the hospital's ED could have been treated at an urgent care facility.
Mercyhealth also said the decision was made because it was "unable to secure the manpower, staff or financial capabilities" to run the ED.
Mercyhealth previously ended inpatient care at Javon Bea Hospital-Rockton and transitioned it to an outpatient facility in March. Inpatient services were consolidated to Javon Bea Hospital-Riverside, also in Rockford. Javon Bea Hospital-Rockton offers outpatient services, including cancer care, pain management, outpatient surgery and pediatrics.