Prime Healthcare hospital Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet has filed paperwork with the state of Illinois to permanently close its pediatric inpatient unit.
The move comes after the hospital, in April of 2025, said it was temporarily suspending overnight inpatient pediatric care at the 13-bed unit citing low patient volume. As of June 29, 2026, the hospital, owned by California-based Prime Healthcare, filed for a “permanent discontinuation” of those services.
“Patients under age 18 will continue to receive treatment at Saint Joseph’s Emergency Department, which will maintain its designation as a certified Pediatric Ready Emergency Department,” the hospital told NBC Chicago Thursday in a statement…