Here are a few facts about the proposed New Lenox hospital. This information is in the Certificate of Need document filed by Silver Cross.
Silver Cross plans to slash the inpatient pediatric department from 39 beds to 8
There will be ZERO neonatal ICU beds
Silver Cross proposes NO new category of services
NO level one trauma care
NO open heart surgery department
The New Lenox hospital will be farther away from the majority of population it serves,
The New Lenox hospital will cost nearly ½ a billion dollars of our healthcare funds.
This wasted amount of a 1/2 a billion dollars could be used toward actual healthcare. (Our funds that could be used for Doctors and Nurses)
The New Lenox hospital will NOT be larger, it is proposed to be 553,867 square feet compared to the old campus consisting of 11 buildings and approximately 720,000 square feet. In addition more doctors are being encouraged to leave Joliet because of a proposed 90,000 square foot SCH professional office building. The New hospital campus does not sound like one building to me.
According to minutes from a Will County Board meeting ONLY 1.7 percent of space will be dedicated to Children’s Memorial.
A child with a serious illness will still have to be treated in Chicago just as they did under the existing 11 year partnership with Children’s Memorial.
Documentation uncovered shows that Silver Cross has been working on this project since 2005 (at least), land documents show a transfer of ownership in 2004.
Why was the public mislead that there would be a children's memorial wing and more services?
I urge everyone to forget you what you think the truth is, to forget what you heard, forget the newspapers, the advertising, the radio and begin to seek the truth and the facts of the situation.
IN SHORT YOU HAVE BEEN MISLEAD INTO BELIEVING A MARKETING CAMPAIGN.
Look at the documents about Silver Cross throughout this site.
All Pros/Cons, all facts must be heard regarding the proposed closing of the East Side Joliet Hospital so far all we have is a marketing campaign by Silver Cross. It is hard to learn facts when you have been mislead from the start. It is hard to change your mind when you have been lead to believe false information.
It is important to understand that it is necessary to save the 1/2 billion dollars so that programs and services can expand and improve, otherwise money will be spent on an unneeded structure, the way to improve Silver Cross Care is to send a letter to stop the closing.
If you have a few minutes it will be easy to save the Joliet East Side Hospital, to save a half a billion dollars of your healthcare funds (projects like these are why your healthcare insurance premiums keep rising) to save proximity of healthcare for the community with the most need, to save doctors from leaving the east side neighborhood, to save access to emergency care in the East Side community, to save jobs on the east side, to etc.....
References to Silver Cross refers to the admininstration not the diligent healthcare workers of the facility. I believe the workers have been mislead as well.
Write a letter to the Health Facilites Planning Board asking them to reject Silver Cross's Bad Plan. Tell them you want to keep the East Side Joliet Hospital Open, Don't worry about how long it is, or your spelling, or grammar, just send it, is crucial that you do so, please do it now, IF EVERYONE TELLS THE TRUTH AND WRITES WE CAN SAVE THE HOSPITAL. All letters must be submitted to the planning board by June 10th, 2008.
Jeffrey S. Mark, Executive Secretary
Illinois Department of Public Health
Health Facilities Planning Board
525 W. Jefferson Street, Second FloorSpringfield, IL 62761
RE: Silver Cross Hospital – Replacement Hospital CON Project
Contact me to learn how to do more. Attorneys we need pro bono research.
If you are an employee or business associate of Silver Cross and you felt coerced into signing or endorsing a declaration or you are afraid of speaking out you can contact me anonymously. Please know that it would be illegal for the Non Profit Silver Cross Hospital to close because they want to, according to the law of the state of illinois they must legally prove they need to leave a Joliet community with a rising population. If another hospital is needed out east now or in 10 or 15 years from now Silver Cross may or may not be that hospital. Another hospital is not contingent upon closing down the East Side Joliet Hospital .
Dr Richard Zalar believes Silver Cross was behind a blockage of an Alzheimer Center, this was back in 2000 Illinois Bill 1613, Palos Heights hospital wanted serious talks regarding a collaboration of ambulatory services out in Frankfort/Mokena with Silver Cross. According to Palos Heights they were rebuffed by the Board of Directors of Silver Cross. Somewhere along the road Silver Cross Administrators have lost their compass as to what community healthcare is supposed to be about. Did you know that Silver Cross Officials literally tried to block the hearing from being held on January 22, 2008 at city hall in Joliet? This information is all taken from documents relating to the CON doc.
Updated March 25, 2008
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