St. Elizabeth’s asks for delay in relocation vote

At the request of HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board has deferred Tuesday’s vote on the hospital’s proposal to build a replacement hospital and ambulatory care center along Interstate 64 and Green Mount Road in St. Clair County.

St. Elizabeth’s will request that HFSRB consider the project again at it board meeting scheduled for Jan. 27, hospital officials said late Monday.

St. Elizabeth’s is required to obtain a Certificate of Need to replace its current obsolete hospital, which was built in the 1950s, with a modern hospital that will be built on a 114-acre campus with an adjoining ambulatory care center along Interstate 64 and Green Mount Road in St. Clair County.

Five votes are needed to approve the project. St. Elizabeth’s learned late Tuesday that only five members will be in attendance on Tuesday.

“Because of unforeseen circumstances, only five of the eight members of the HFSRB were to be present for the meeting. So, we asked the board to defer consideration of our project until January, when we anticipate more members will be present to vote on this important project,” said Maryann Reese, president and CEO of HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. “We hope to present our project to the full board.”

St. Elizabeth’s proposed replacement hospital will include 144 private patient rooms, an emergency department, state-of-the-art operating rooms, an advanced intensive care unit, and inpatient rehabilitation.

St. Elizabeth’s also plans to offer an array of inpatient and outpatient services at the new facility, including cancer care, modern birthing suites, telehealth consultations featuring stroke and heart care.

For more information on the project, visit www.supportsteliz.org.