Roseland Community Hospital, a safety-net hospital on Chicago's Far South Side, will end labor and delivery services effective Oct. 31, according to a report the hospital sent to state regulators, NBC Chicago reported. The hospital cited severe financial pressure.
"We can't put the whole entire hospital at risk just for one department," a high-level hospital administrator told NBC Chicago. The hospital's obstetrics clinic will remain open, so patients can still get prenatal care there, but births will move elsewhere.
For expecting families on the South Side, the change means a longer trip in labor. Roseland's chair of obstetrics said patients are already traveling at least half an hour to deliver elsewhere.
One More Closure on the South Side
Patients are expected to turn to Advocate Trinity Hospital and UChicago Medicine in Hyde Park, NBC Chicago reported in a follow-up. The closure plan came months after Roseland received a $16 million state grant to help make payroll and keep its doors open, according to NBC Chicago's first report.
Dr. Joy West, chair of obstetrics at Roseland, told ABC7 Chicago that Trinity is scheduled to close in 2028. ABC7 reported that current plans for the hospital being built to replace it do not include a labor and delivery unit.
ABC7 also reported that at least five labor and delivery units have closed across the South Side and south suburbs since 2019. West put the number higher. "There have been more than seven or eight closures of labor and delivery units on the South Side within the last six to seven years," she said.
The closures extend beyond the South Side. Prime Healthcare ended obstetric services at Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago, St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, and Mercy Medical Center in Aurora on Oct. 1, CBS Chicago reported, citing low delivery volumes.
Distance Matters During Labor
Labor does not always follow a schedule. Complications such as dangerously high blood pressure, heavy bleeding, or a baby in distress can appear quickly. "When moms have an urgent need for care, elevated blood pressure, their baby's coming very soon. Proximity to care matters," West said.
Research supports that concern. A 2024 paper in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth noted that the risk of poor maternal outcomes and newborn intensive care admissions has been shown to rise with longer travel distances and times. A 2026 March of Dimes report found that recent labor and delivery closures increased average travel time to maternity care by 25 minutes in affected communities.
Illinois already faces stark gaps. In 2021 and 2022, Black women in the state were more than twice as likely as white women to die from pregnancy-related conditions, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, which found that 91% of pregnancy-related deaths were potentially preventable.
"It's disheartening that they're closing with rising, persistently rising maternal mortality rates," West said.
Families Weigh Their Options
Community birth workers say families need time to plan. "These are not small decisions. These are decisions that will follow us for a long time," said Tayo Mbande, co-founder and chief executive of Chicago Birthworks Collective.
Star August Ali, executive director and founder of the Black Midwifery Collective, told NBC Chicago that being able to "transfer one of my clients to a hospital that's close by could mean life or death." Kemeera Nimahat, founder of Mamma Jamma Dance and Maternal Wellness, told ABC7 that two local birth centers had already closed.
Pregnant patients due in November or later can ask their prenatal provider now where they will deliver and whether their records will be transferred. Mapping the route to the new hospital at different times of day and arranging a backup ride can reduce stress when labor starts.
Patients should also check that the new hospital is in their insurance network. Medicaid covers a large share of births in Illinois, and most major hospitals accept it, but confirming ahead of time avoids surprises.
Anyone with a severe headache, vision changes, chest pain, heavy bleeding, or reduced baby movement should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Under federal law, emergency departments must evaluate and stabilize patients in labor, even at hospitals without a delivery unit.
Prenatal visits at Roseland's clinic will continue, which keeps a familiar provider close to home for checkups. But patients will need to plan for a hand-off at delivery so records, lab results, and birth plans reach the delivering hospital in time.
Roseland has also said it is seeking state support for a planned Maryville New Mom's Home, an inpatient setting for high-risk patients, NBC Chicago reported. Details on when it might open, and how many patients it could serve, have not been released. The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board reviews hospital plans to discontinue services.
Key Questions Answered
What is closing at Roseland? Labor and delivery services end Oct. 31. The obstetrics clinic for prenatal care will stay open.
Why is it closing? The hospital cited severe financial pressure.
Where will patients give birth? Patients are expected to turn to Advocate Trinity Hospital and UChicago Medicine.
How many South Side units have closed? ABC7 reported at least five since 2019. Roseland's obstetrics chair said seven or eight.
Why does travel distance matter? Complications in labor can develop quickly, and research links longer travel to worse outcomes.
What should pregnant patients do now? Confirm their delivery hospital, insurance coverage, and transportation plan with their provider.
Published by Medicaldaily.com
