By rssfeeds-admin 
On Thursday, the two health systems announced they had submitted a new, joint proposal for the board’s approval, which would create the NorthPointe Neighborhood Hospital by reallocating 10 hospital beds from FHN to the proposed hospital.
“Due to the recent elimination of inpatient beds in Rockford’s Northwest region, FHN and BHS discussed the need to reallocate 10 of FHN’s beds to the Roscoe region to better serve the community’s needs,” a press release said. “This proposed hospital aims to help fill some of those gaps by providing local inpatient services and improving access to care.”
“Freeport has the allocation of the inpatient beds. And that was important to the project and to the state, quite honestly, that we don’t create additional excess beds, ‘new beds,'” explained Tim McKevett, President and CEO of Beloit Health System.
Beloit Health System alone had submitted a similar plan in September, which failed to receive enough votes from the board to win approval.
Under the new plan, both hospitals would remain independent but share resources.
“Together, we are exploring options that could lead to a facility that benefits our communities,” stated Mark Gridley President and CEO of FHN. “We look forward to working with the Illinois Health and Facilities Board to advance this proposal and, hopefully, bring this vision to life.”
“This is an exciting step toward strengthening healthcare in our region,” said McKevett. “Our goal is to improve access to vital services and keep patients connected to their community.”
As of now, anyone calling 911 near NorthPointe will be transported by ambulance to Rockford or Beloit. The addition of an emergency room on NorthPointe’s campus would allow more people to be taken care of closer to home.
“Every day I look at the census reports, I see between 15 and 20% of our patients have zip codes down in this area. Having those individuals get care close to home right here in their community is going to improve their care. It’s going to involve the family in the process more having then to travel up to Wisconsin,” said McKevett.
“If it’s just one organization, there may not be enough demand to support different specialty services. But if it’s two health systems joining together, then that demand could be increased,” Gridley added.
NorthPointe Wellness Center, at 5605 E. Rockton Road, has continued to provide improvements for patients over the years. In 2015, the campus received approval from the state for outpatient surgery, and in 2023, it added a free-standing birth center as well.
A public hearing on the proposal will be held Tuesday, July 15th at 2 p.m. at the Roscoe Township Community Center, at 4562 Hononegah Road.
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