Bringing this back to the original discussion. for those who don't get the paper or read it online.
This morning's meeting
www.mywebtimes.com/news/local/residents-oppose-hospital-closure/article_f39d16a9-0769-53ad-8327-aa118c5779db.htmlDavid Giuliani, davidg@mywebtimes.com, 815-431-4041 | 0 comments
More than 150 people showed up for a hearing Thursday on whether a state agency should approve a request to close St. Mary's Hospital in Streator.
A few hospital executives made the case for closing St. Mary's, while a couple of dozen residents commented. All but one opposed the closure.
The standing room only audience in City Hall chambers loudly clapped after closure opponents spoke.
A hearing officer for the state Health Facilities and Services Review Board took comments for nearly two hours.
The board is considering an application from St. Mary's owner, Springfield-based HSHS, to close the hospital, which is planned for Jan. 4. On that day, HSHS plans to sell St. Mary's operations to Peoria-based OSF.
The new owner plans to continue outpatient services and build a new facility, but has no plans to bring back the hospital.
The health review board is expected to vote on HSHS' 36-page application next month.
At the hearing, speaker after speaker raised the issue of whether HSHS tried to find an organization willing to keep the hospital open.
Among them was City Manager Scot Wrighton. He accused HSHS of "short-circuiting" the process of sending requests for proposals to 16 other hospitals.
The city, he said, was in touch with a couple of the hospitals. They weren't given enough time to submit responses and were surprised when the sale to OSF moved forward, he said.
"They were interested in the hospital," Wrighton said. "We will never know whether there was another buyer that could keep the hospital open."
In an interview after the meeting, HSHS CEO Mary Starmann-Harrison said her organization preferred selling to OSF because of geography and similar values.
Both are Catholic organizations, and OSF already has a network of hospitals in the area, including in Ottawa, Pontiac and Mendota. HSHS' nearest hospital is two hours away.
"They have such a good presence in the area," she said. "Geography matters. We can share doctors."
At the hearing, residents charged that HSHS worked to keep its patient numbers down. And they blamed the organization for failing to recruit doctors.
"There is no reason the hospital couldn't be kept open," Streator firefighter Joe Scarbeary said to applause. "I have seen no studies showing otherwise."
Another firefighter, Bryan Park, said HSHS has done a "great disservice" to Streator.
"It's simple. No doctors, no admissions," he said. "There aren't enough doctors here. That's HSHS' fault."
St. Mary's CEO John Flanders told the audience that physician recruitment efforts failed. In the last decade, he said, HSHS brought in 28 doctors to Streator. Just one remains, even though the hospital provided economic support so they could build their practices, Flanders said.
"They were unable to do that successfully," he said.
One of the fears that residents repeatedly expressed was the potential loss of the emergency room. Under current law, ERs are not allowed independent of hospitals. But local lawmakers are working on changing that law. Last week, the House voted overwhelmingly to support a narrow exemption designed for Streator. The Senate is expected to vote soon.
OSF has promised to keep the local ER if state law changes.
City Manager Wrighton praised OSF for working with lawmakers to change the law. HSHS, he said, should have taken care of the problem, instead of leaving it for a "last-minute" rush.
One dramatic moment during the hearing followed comments by Jack Dzuris, executive director of the Streator Area Chamber of Commerce. Dzuris, who is also the chairman of the St. Mary's Foundation board, told the audience he supported HSHS' application to close the hospital, noting OSF's proposed state-of-the-art outpatient center.
He was booed.
The health review board is expected to vote on HSHS' application to close the hospital at its regular meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, 2001 Rodeo Drive, Bolingbrook.
Some objected to holding the meeting in a Chicago suburb that's more than an hour away.
"A Streator issue is being decided in Bolingbrook," one man said in frustration.