Amita no longer planning to close mental illness unit in Elgin
Amita Health is no longer planning to close the inpatient psychiatric unit at Amita Saint Joseph Hospital in Elgin, Mayor David Kaptain said Monday.
That news is good for Elgin, because patients served by the psychiatric unit are in great distress and seriously need help, Kaptain said. Keeping those services in Elgin allows police officers and firefighters - who often respond to calls involving mental health issues - to transport patients quickly, Kaptain said.
Amita Health said in late August that it planned to move its inpatient psychiatric unit from Elgin to Amita Health Mercy Medical Center in Aurora.
State Sen. Cristina Castro, a Democrat from Elgin, said Amita reconsidered its plan after having conversations with Castro, state Rep. Anna Moeller, also a Democrat from Elgin, state Rep. Fred Crespo, a Democrat from Hoffman Estates, as well as other community leaders and partners.
Castro said there is "a tremendous need" for behavioral and mental health services in her district, especially after a number of beds at Elgin Mental Health Center were assigned to prisoners from the Illinois Department of Corrections in 2016, she said.
"I look forward to continue working with Amita, who has asked for assistance from the community to learn how they can be better partners and how they can educate on and raise awareness of mental health issues and services," Castro said.
Kaptain said he and Councilman Corey Dixon met with Amita representatives last week and were told the Elgin unit would not close. Kaptain said the meeting was organized by Dixon, who was concerned about the closure.
Kaptain said he, too, was concerned, as were many other elected city officials and community members.
Saint Joseph is authorized for 184 beds with 30 reserved for acute mental illness patients, according to the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board.
Still, Kaptain said, he understands that Amita has to consider expenses when making business decisions. The hospital takes a certain number of indigent patients and there are many others who don't have the means to pay their bills, he said.
"Part of the issue is that the beds are not full. It's a typical economic kind of discussion," he said. "It's kind of a tough thing. As a society, how do we deal with this?"
Amita Health also planned to close its inpatient geriatric psychiatric unit at Amita Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village and move it to Amita Health Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital in Hoffman Estates. Kaptain said he didn't have any information about that.
Amita released a statement Monday night saying the system changed course in Elgin after meeting with community stakeholders.
"These meetings have allowed us to better understand the concerns and need for behavioral health services in our shared community," the statement said. "Our primary goal is - and has always been - focused on how best to deliver behavioral health services to patients in need. After considerable thought and reflection, Amita Health will not be pursuing the discontinuation of inpatient mental health services at Amita Health Saint Joseph Hospital Elgin."
Amita Health Senior Vice President and CEO of Behavioral Health Clay Ciha said last month the changes would allow the organization to "enhance and grow our behavioral health services so we can care for even more patients."
Any proposal would go before the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board for approval.
• Daily Herald staff writer Marni Pyke contributed to this report.