UPDATE: Review Board Votes Down Mercy Proposal

A majority of the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted against Mercy Health System’s proposal for a Crystal Lake hospital citing there is not a real need for additional hospital beds given area hospitals are not operating a capacity.

After hours of testimony at a hearing in Joliet Tuesday, the board voted 8-1 in opposition to the proposal to establish the 128-bed acute care center on Three Oaks Road in Crystal Lake. The review board is hearing testimony Tuesday afternoon from Centegra on a proposal for a similar hospital in Huntley.

While the Illinois Department of Public Health found southern McHenry County needs 83 medical/surgical beds, the population growth has slowed considerably since that figure was projected. The result is surrounding hospitals, like Sherman Hospital in Elgin and Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, have low occupancy rates.

Board member Dr. James J. Burden said he was impressed with Mercy’s dapplication and impressed by its efforts to provide charitable care, however, “I am also very concerned when (we are) seeing occupancy rates (in surrounding hospitals) so low.”

Board member John Hayes also voted no, stating the state of the economy as well as the demographics have changed in recent years and the need is not as evident.

In an interview following the vote, Mercy Vice President Rich Gruber said Mercy would wait for the state’s final report and notice of intent to deny then make “strategic” changes to its proposal and decide “when, where, why and if we return."

He said Mercy is still dedicated to bringing a hospital to Crystal Lake and its residents who have waited a long time for their own hospitals.

“I don’t think they deserve to wait much longer,” Gruber said.

Check for updates from the review board meeting on Patch's live blog.