DON'T DELAY WRITE THE LETTER NOW TO OPPOSE THE CLOSING OF JOLIET'S EAST SIDE HOSPITAL, TIME IS RUNNING OUT, all documents must be received by June 10th please write now, save 1/2 a billion dollars of your health care funds, funds that are needed for health care programs in Will County.
Silver Cross Hospital finally FINALLY ADMITS that the enhancement with Children's Memorial Hospital is actually doctor offices that will be placed in New Lenox. (less than 10,000 square feet of the whole 600,000 square feet campus, less than 1.8 percent of space dedicated to Children's) Children's has over an 11 year history with SCH It has been a great program at the current campus, now Children's is choosing to have offices in New Lenox instead of the current offices in Joliet. Here is how it works, once it is determined that a child cannot be treated adequately then procedures and referral programs are in place to transfer them to Children's. This is exactly what the program is design to do, don't confuse that service with Silver Cross Hospital being able to treat a child with a serious illness.
The structure in question is scheduled to open in 2009 it is a totally separate Certificate of Need application by SCH, in fact it is not being contested by any group. However don't confuse this office building with the nearly 1/2 a billion dollar hospital that is proposed to be built by 2011. Remember this proposed new hospital will not be upgraded to a full service community hospital, it wont have an open heart surgery department, no neo natal icu beds, no new category of services. The pediatric department is being downsized from 39 beds to 8. A number so low that SCH is seeking a variance. How many more inpatient pediatric specialists (like pediatric nurses) are going to be needed if the amount of beds is being downsized?
SCH is implying that children will be able to have heart surgery at the new SCH, this is totally false. Child Heart surgeons will not be at SCH. Everyone knows that there will be not even be an open heart surgery department at the proposed SCH in New Lenox.
Why didn't SCH disclose the basics of partnership with Children's last summer? After all the letter of intent for these doctor offices was filed (July 11) 15 days before the letter of intent of the proposed hospital (July 26). Yet Silver Cross offers a press release now? SCH refuses to state exactly what new services will be offered compared to services offered in the past. In he Certificate of Need Application SCH states no new category of services will be offered at the proposed hospital.
It is your health care funds that will be wasted, your insurance premiums, your taxes, your tax breaks to the non profit hospitals, your medicaid funds, your medicare funds, your property tax exemption breaks, your donations, your estates leaving property and cash assets. I IMPLORE YOU TO TAKE ACTION. Health care in Will County will suffer if this money is wasted.
WRITE NOW, TODAY, DO NOT DELAY, THESE LETTERS MUST BE IN SPRINGFIELD BY June 10th.
Jeffrey S. Mark, Executive Secretary
Illinois Department of Public Health
Health Facilities Planning Board
525 W. Jefferson Street, Second Floor
Springfield, IL 62761
RE: Silver Cross Hospital – Replacement Hospital CON Project Opposed to Closing
