Although the plan was met with criticism from a competitor, Illinois regulators voted Nov. 17 to approve plans to build a fourth hospital in the city of Rockford, according to the Chicago Tribune.
MercyRockford Health System plans to build its second campus hospital — a $407 million facility and the fourth hospital in the city of Rockford — and remodel its Rockford Memorial Hospital, parts of which are 60 years old.
Officials from Rockford, Ill.-based OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — which is less than 10 miles from MercyRockford's proposed facility — have concerns about the fourth hospital duplicating existing services.
Nevertheless, the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted 8-0 to approve MercyRockford's new facility and its proposed updates to Rockford Memorial Hospital. Rockford Memorial primarily functions as a safety-net hospital, and 31 percent of its revenue comes from Medicaid.
The new facility is expected to open in June 2019, and renovations on Rockford Memorial will be completed one year later, according to Crain's Chicago Business.