Mayor urges Mercyhealth board to vet buyer for former Rockford Memorial hospital

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Mayor Tom McNamara urged the Mercyhealth board of directors to tread carefully into a potential deal to sell the former Rockford Memorial hospital to someone he characterized as lacking “a proven track record.”

“In an effort to be transparent with the community, I wanted to make the community aware that I have recently heard of a potential transaction, though nothing has been confirmed,” McNamara said in a statement. “What I’ve heard, however, raises serious concerns. The prospective transaction appears to put the property in the hands of an individual/organization that lacks both a proven track record of successful projects and the financial capacity and wherewithal to bring a redevelopment to fruition.”

McNamara did not name the potential buyer, but warned, “Dumping the property to an individual/organization without the resources, plan or capacity to follow through would almost certainly leave the building vacant, creating another source of blight on the west side.”

He went on to appeal to the Mercyhealth Board of Directors not to “rubber-stamp” a plan for the property without proper vetting.

Mercyhealth closed the former Mercyhealth Rockton campus in July.

At the time, the company said preliminary ideas for the future of the facility included social services agencies or a nursing home.

Mercyhealth eliminated inpatient services at the Rockton Avenue campus in 2020, relocating emergency room services to its Javon Bea Riverside campus.

Mercyhealth said the move was necessary after decreased volume in its emergency departments, an increase in telemedicine, and lower surgery volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to CEO Javon Bea, the decision was made partly due to flooding concerns.

On June 18th, 2018, waters backed up during a strong storm and ran toward the hospital, located at 2400 N Rockton Avenue, resulting in a glass window shattering and allowing water to flood into the hospital, resulting in “significant and catastrophic damage,” Bea said.

According to McNamara, “This summer marked the ultimate end of Mercyhealth’s ‘one hospital, two campuses’ catch phrase, which was little more than empty words. In reality, the opening of the second hospital ensured the N. Rockton Avenue building would close.”