September 30, 2026

Joliet, IL— Prime Healthcare has abandoned mothers and babies in Joliet by shuttering units at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, according to nurses who hosted a rally Tuesday. The nurses, who are represented by the Illinois Nurses Association, are eager to begin negotiating their next contract with Prime to prevent further erosion of their hospital and community’s healthcare. They were joined Wednesday by Joliet Township Supervisor Cesar Guerrero, the office of U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood, and other community figures.

Prime Healthcare announced Sept. 1 that they would be closing Obstetrics and the Special Care Nursery units at St. Joseph’s starting Oct. 1. Patients will be diverted to Olympia Fields Hospital in Olympia Fields—a 30-mile drive from Joliet—or St. Mary of Nazareth’s in Chicago—a 50-mile drive. This follows recent news that the for-profit company seeks to permanently close the Pediatrics unit in the hospital. At the rally, nurses expressed concern over what the closures mean for mothers, babies, and familiesin Illinois’ fourth-largest city.

“It is shameful that Prime is closing these units simply because they don’t maximize profits,” said Kimberly Craig, RN in the Special Care Nursery at St. Joseph’s. “Where are pregnant people in Joliet supposed to go? What if a mother has an emergency? Are they supposed to drive an hour and a half to Chicago? That drive could be the difference between a healthy baby being born, or serious complications that put mothers and their babies at risk.” 

Nurses in the closed units will be forced to work outside their specialty if they choose to stay at St. Joseph’s, and many have expressed concern about lacking training before they are expected to transition on Oct. 1. Most of the available positions being offered to affected nurses are in the ICU or Emergency Department.

Since acquiring St. Joseph’s in March of 2025, Prime Healthcare and CEO Prem Reddy have repeatedly closed or merged hospital units, including Pediatrics, Acute Care for the Elderly, Post-Surgical, General Medical-Surgical, and Inpatient Physical-Medical Rehabilitation—in addition to the recent maternal health units. The closures affect the surrounding communities, as well. Patients who would formerly find care at St. Joseph’s must now find care elsewhere, which stresses capacity and increases wait times at neighboring facilities like Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox.

At the rally, nurses presented a petition with more than 1,000 signatures from health care workers and community members demanding Prime Healthcare stop gutting St. Joseph’s.

Without intervention, St. Joseph’s nurses warn that the hospital could follow the trajectory of other Prime-owned facilities, like Suburban Hospital in Pennsylvania—a hospital whose 200-bed capacity was drastically reduced to one outpatient behavioral health clinic after Prime’s repeated service cuts.

To save their hospital, nurses are focused on negotiating their next contract with Prime (the current contract expires January 2027). Following the legal process, the INA filed an Intent to Bargain with Prime Healthcare on June 29, 2027. Prime has ignored requests to come to the bargaining table, as is legally-required.

 “The last line of defense St. Joseph’s has are its nurses, who will be fighting for a contract that helps them protect the health and dignity of Joliet patients—and stop the incessant cuts and closures we have seen from Prime Healthcare,” said INA Executive Director Julia Bartmes following the event. “We are calling on Prime to stop delaying and come to the bargaining table to negotiate with our nurses in good faith.”  

The 505 nurses at St. Joseph’s are represented by the St. Joseph’s Nurses Association, the local bargaining unit of the INA.

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The Illinois Nurses Association is an independent union fighting for healthcare workers and patients across the public and private sector. The union provides professional representation and helps improve working conditions for nurses and healthcare workers in its local bargaining units.  For more information about the INA, visit http://www.illinoisnurses.com.