Roseland Community Hospital to Suspend Labor and Delivery Services

Roseland Community Hospital, located on Chicago’s South Side, is set to suspend its labor and delivery services by the end of this month. This decision represents another reduction in obstetric care in the area. The hospital’s President and CEO, Tim Egan, explained that the decision was not made voluntarily. Rather, it stems from historical underfunding issues affecting safety-net hospitals.

Egan emphasized the broader impact of this closure, stating, “Women in this community will now have to travel farther and wait longer for obstetric care and in labor and delivery, distance and delay cost lives.” In 2025, Roseland had 17 obstetric/gynecology beds and recorded 107 births, according to a report by the Health Facilities and Services Review Board.

Roseland, like many safety-net hospitals in Chicago, has faced financial difficulties for years. Earlier this year, the hospital struggled with payroll delays due to late Medicaid managed care organization payments. Safety-net hospitals, which primarily serve Medicaid recipients and those with low incomes, often receive lower payments than private insurers and are unable to cover the full cost of care.

“Maternal mortality rates here are already too high,” Egan noted. “This will make them worse.”

The challenges faced by Roseland are mirrored in many community hospitals across the state. These hospitals often deal with aging infrastructure and rising costs for essential supplies and staffing. Since 2019, other South Side hospitals such as Jackson Park Hospital and Medical Center, St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center, and Insight Hospital and Medical Center have also closed their obstetric units.

The closure of these units has raised concerns over racial disparities in maternal health. A state report indicated that between 2018 and 2020, Black women in Illinois were three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related conditions than white women. Furthermore, they experienced severe pregnancy or delivery complications at more than twice the rate of white women. In 2025, approximately 89% of Roseland’s patients were Black.

Roseland’s decision is part of a wider trend, as community hospitals adjust services due to low patient numbers and demographic shifts. Last month, Prime Healthcare announced plans to suspend obstetric services at three Illinois hospitals, centralizing such care at other locations. The Illinois Nurses Association expressed concern over the reductions, as affected communities may lose critical services.