Mercy CEO: Crystal Lake Needs New Hospital

The Illinois Health Facilities and Review Board reconvened for its afternoon session with testimony from Mercy Health System officials.

Board members heard testimony Tuesday morning from supporters who said the Crystal Lake area is underserved and needs a hospital. Mercy wants . Mercy officials hope the review board approves their Certificate of Need application.

Javon Bea, Mercy president and CEO, said the Crystal Lake area is home to the most diverse population in McHenry County. The area a new hospital would serve includes Crystal Lake, Algonquin, Lake in the Hills and Cary, and has a population of 160,000.

“I am not aware of any other community in Illinois with a population this large that does not have its own hospital,” Bea said.

Accessibility is important and Mercy is “putting our facility in the highest concentration of elderly and low-income,” he said.

It is an area where residents need a hospital in closer proximity, which is a key issue for the poor and elderly, he said.

Representatives of the hospitals opposing Mercy’s plan, including Sherman Hospital of Elgin and Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, spoke against the Crystal Lake hospital Tuesday. Bea said the testimony on behalf of those hospitals represented a “pure vested interest."

“They would rather have people fight their way 14 miles away to get access to emergency rooms just so in their greed, they won’t have to work and provide excellence of care.”

Check updates on Patch's live blog covering the review board hearing in Joliet.