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St. Mary’s Kankakee has been dedicated to providing OB and maternal care for decades, but the need for maternal care has dramatically declined in our hospital while access to these services is stable within the community at neighboring hospitals. For many years, Dr. Taylor, most recently with Westwood OB-GYN, has provided incredible, longstanding service to the community and we appreciate his dedication and respect his choice to close his practice and conclude operations effective May 16, 2025. This has led to the difficult but necessary decision of transitioning OB services to Riverside Hospital and suspending OB services at St. Mary’s Hospital - Kankakee.
Like many other communities across the country, Kankakee has seen changing demographics that have led to a steady decline in the number of births and resulting low volumes at St. Mary’s OB/delivery unit. The hospital currently sees just 26 births a month – less than one per day – with yearly births declining by nearly one third since 2022. It is not possible to ensure the highest standards of quality care with such little volume and a service that was entirely dependent on any single physician. Studies show that the continuation of low volume OB services cannot reliably ensure consistent, quality care and lead to higher risks, lower quality outcomes and longer patient stays.
All staff members affected by the suspension of OB services at St. Mary’s Kankakee will be offered comparable positions elsewhere within the hospital or at other Prime Illinois facilities.
St. Mary’s Kankakee’s highest priority is quality, the health of our patients and meeting the evolving needs of our communities. We are working closely with Riverside Hospital, located less than a mile away, to ensure seamless continuity of care for our patients. Patients will also have access to comprehensive obstetrical services at St. Joseph Hospital – Joliet, and care coordinators will be available to work with patients in arranging transfers, finding new OBGYN providers, access medical records and other inquiries. Our priority is ensuring access to high-quality obstetrical care without disruption.
St. Mary’s Kankakee remains committed to addressing community needs and while the need for OB services has declined, other services can meet unmet needs while delivering exceptional care. Therefore, we will continue to invest in and strengthen our cardiology and orthopedics service lines, thereby strengthening the overall healthcare system for our community.
These efforts are a small part of Prime Healthcare’s $250 million initiative aimed at elevating the quality and accessibility of state-of-the-art care across our Illinois market. This includes significant investments in cutting-edge technologies and systems, such as the EPIC electronic medical records system, which will be implemented in Kankakee and our other facilities throughout the Chicagoland area.