SPRING VALLEY Ill. (WMBD) — Spring Valley’s residents are left with more questions than answers when it comes to the future of the city’s sole hospital.
On Thursday, the city’s mayor Melanie Malooley Thompson posted online that St. Margaret’s Health in Spring Valley would be closing on June 16th, calling the news ‘disheartening and tragic.’
Thompson cited and referenced a memo from the ‘hospital to staff’ that explained there’s a dire financial condition, similar to the situation in Peru, and they’re waiting on financial help from the legislature to stay afloat.
“While I still hope that our elected officials at the state level can assist St. Margaret’s, the likely outcome is that similar to Peru, the funding will not materialize, and on June 16 and the hospital will close,” Thompson wrote.
She wrote the possible closure could result in longer ambulance rides to nearby hospitals and fewer medical services for residents.
WMBD tried multiple times, via phone calls and visits to the hospital, to reach Tim Muntz, the hospital’s President and CEO as well as Linda Burt, vice president of marketing and community services, with no luck.
Thompson also said she’s had issues trying to get information from hospital leaders and she’s in the dark on much of the future such as what will happen to patients, healthcare for the area’s residents, and seniors who reside inside the hospital’s building.
She said city leaders have contacted State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) and Illinois State Representative Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa) for support.
Rezin sent out the following statement on Thursday.
Rep. Yednock and I have provided state assistance to ensure that residents would continue to have access to local and quality healthcare services. This includes passing legislation to allow SMH to operate their Peru and Spring Valley hospitals under one license to provide cost savings and to designate St. Margaret’s as the as the first rural emergency hospital in the nation. Additionally, we provided assistance to get their Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements released earlier than normal to help offset their growing financial deficit.
State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris)
All local lawmakers and officials understand the potential devastation the end of healthcare service within the Illinois Valley region would create and we continue to work on solutions that keep those services available. In that effort, Rep. Yednock and I have met with the Governor’s Administration to discuss expediting the application process for the transfer of ownership of the Peru hospital and other locations from SMH to OSF HealthCare once they have completed their due diligence and formally submit their application. The Administration has been receptive to this request as they too understand the need to continue to provide great, local and quality healthcare for all Illinois residents.
State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris)
