Overview

• Ascension Illinois intends to discontinue labor and delivery at its Elk Grove Village hospital and shift all inpatient births to a new Center of Excellence at Ascension Saint Alexius Women and Children’s Hospital in Hoffman Estates.
• The service transfer hinges on sign-off by the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, which oversees major hospital changes to protect community access.
• More than 100 labor and delivery staff are affected and have been offered a $5,000 retention bonus plus a 4% salary increase to relocate to the Hoffman Estates facility.
• Nurses and local residents have organized protests, raising alarms that removing on-site emergency obstetric care could delay critical interventions in life-threatening cases.
• Community advocates warn that the move may reduce access for women from underserved areas and exacerbate existing disparities in maternal health outcomes.