Illinois lawmakers have introduced legislation that would stop hospital closures in the state for three years.
The proposed moratorium, part of legislation to tackle racial inequities in healthcare, would be in effect until Dec. 31, 2023.
In addition to the moratorium, the bill would allocate $50 million to safety-net hospitals to preserve obstetric services and require implicit bias training for nurses when they renew their licenses.
The proposed bill comes as Mercy Hospital & Medical Center in Chicago moves to shut down despite a state board's decision to prevent the closure and months of protests from physicians, healthcare advocates and community organizers who say that closing the hospital would create a healthcare desert on the city's South Side.
Read more about the Mercy Hospital closure here.
Read the full bill proposed by Illinois lawmakers here.