BELLEVILLE, Ill. — Joined by community supporters, building trades leaders and elected officials from throughout the Metro East region, leaders of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and Hospital Sisters Health System announced plans to build a new, state-of-the-art hospital in St. Clair County. St. Elizabeth’s and HSHS also outlined plans to deliver healthcare services at the existing St. Elizabeth’s campus in Belleville, Illinois.
“After years of planning, I am happy to announce the St. Elizabeth’s Board of Directors has approved building a regional hospital and medical office building on 114 acres of land located seven miles from our current hospital campus. This approval was made with the concurrence of Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, the sponsoring religious community of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and HSHS,” said Maryann Reese, president and CEO of St. Elizabeth’s. “This project will provide area residents with access to a state-of-the art medical facility, boost the local economy and enhance the quality of life for southwestern Illinois. St. Elizabeth’s also will re-envision our existing campus with input from Belleville residents.”
The location of St. Elizabeth’s replacement hospital will be more centrally located for the entire Metro East region that St. Elizabeth’s serves, and be more accessible to underserved patients than the hospital’s current campus. In addition, Reese said St. Elizabeth’s will continue to provide a range of outpatient services and maintain various support functions at its Belleville campus.
The new St. Elizabeth’s will continue to be a teaching hospital and will be designed for the future of healthcare delivery. The facility 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 plans to offer a wide array of inpatient and outpatient services at the new facility, including cancer care, modern birthing suites, telehealth consultations, featuring accredited stroke care, and award-winning heart care.
The St. Elizabeth’s Health Center–Belleville will offer residents a same-day ambulatory clinic that will feature radiology and laboratory services, primary and specialty care physicians’ offices, and physical, occupational and back-to-work therapy. Many administrative services also will stay in Belleville, such as the HSHS Southern Illinois Division business offices, marketing and staff education.
The location of the replacement hospital also will move St. Elizabeth’s closer to Scott Air Force Base and the community hospitals that refer patients to St. Elizabeth’s, such as HSHS affiliate hospitals St. Joseph’s in Highland and St. Joseph’s in Breese, as well as Greenville Regional Hospital and Washington County Hospital.
To gain approval from the State of Illinois for these plans, St. Elizabeth’s will submit its application this summer to the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board for a Certificate of Need. It is anticipated that the Review Board will review the application later this year.
To learn more about and to sign a letter of support for the project, visit www.supportsteliz.org.
