Nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet have filed a class-action lawsuit this week, arguing that years of staffing cuts have left the hospital chronically understaffed and put patients in harm’s way. The complaint, brought by current and former nurses, accuses Ascension Healthcare and Prime Healthcare of violating the hospital’s staffing plan and forcing staff to shoulder unsafe patient loads, the latest flare-up in a months-long dispute between union nurses and the hospital’s new for-profit owner.
According to CBS Chicago, the nurses, who are represented by the Illinois Nurses Association, allege that Ascension and Prime “repeatedly breached St. Joseph’s legally mandated staffing plan” and pushed nurses into shifts that “put nurses and patients in danger.” The complaint also claims the defendants caused staff “severe emotional distress” as patient needs went unmet.
Union Says Problems Spiked After Prime Takeover
Nurses and union leaders have been publicly protesting staffing and service reductions since Prime Healthcare acquired several former Ascension hospitals, including the Joliet facility, in March 2025. Reporting from Shaw Local notes that St. Joseph is licensed for 489 beds but is operating at roughly 185 to 198. At a May press event, nurses described suspended units, including inpatient pediatrics, and said they were being assigned heavier patient loads on the remaining open floors.
State Staffing Rules At Issue…