Residents on Rockford’s west side are feeling abandoned and betrayed after Javon Bea Hospital permanently closed its doors today on just a few hours’ notice.
While sudden, the closure was not a complete surprise. The 194-bed hospital at 2350 N. Rockton Ave. has been the focus of concern for nearly five years, as hospital system officials made a series of service cuts and moved various functions to its facility on East Riverside Drive.
Mercyhealth Vice President of Operations Kara Sankey released a statement to WREX television, saying that the hospital was seeking a “temporary suspension of services” at the shuttered site…