Roseland Community Hospital to Suspend Labor and Delivery Services

Roseland Community Hospital plans to halt labor and delivery services by the end of this month. This makes it the latest South Side hospital to reduce obstetric care. Hospital President and CEO Tim Egan stated that the decision wasn’t made voluntarily, but due to long-standing underfunding of safety-net hospitals. This has rendered maintaining essential services unsustainable.

Egan emphasized the impact of this decision, saying, “Women in this community will need to travel further and wait longer for obstetric care. In labor and delivery, distance, and delay cost lives.” According to a report by the Health Facilities and Services Review Board, Roseland had 17 obstetric/gynecology beds and recorded 107 births in 2025.

Like many safety-net hospitals in Chicago, Roseland has faced financial hardships for years. Earlier this year, the hospital struggled to meet payroll deadlines after Medicaid managed care organization payments were delayed. During a visit by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin in July 2025, Egan spoke about the threats posed to these hospitals by Medicaid cuts.

“Safety-net hospitals treat a significant number of Medicaid patients,” he said. Medicaid, funded by state and federal funds, provides health insurance for low-income individuals and those with disabilities. However, Medicaid typically reimburses hospitals at rates lower than private insurance, which doesn’t fully cover care costs.

In 2025, approximately 51% of Roseland’s inpatient revenue came from Medicaid. Safety-net hospitals, like Roseland, also contend with outdated facilities and rising costs for supplies, medication, and staffing. The closure of obstetric units on Chicago’s South Side intensifies existing disparities in maternal health between Black and white women.

Since 2019, three other South Side hospitals have closed obstetric units, including Jackson Park Hospital, St. Bernard Hospital, and Insight Hospital in Chicago. The Illinois Department of Health report showed that between 2018 and 2020, Black women were three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related issues. They also faced delivery complications at more than double the rate of white women. About 89% of Roseland’s patient base in 2025 was Black.

Egan stated, “Maternal mortality rates here are already too high,” and the service suspension would worsen them. This change is part of a broader trend of community hospitals statewide cutting obstetric services due to low patient numbers and demographic shifts. More people now opt for major birthing centers.

Last month, Prime Healthcare revealed plans to halt obstetric services at three Illinois hospitals, including St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet and Mercy Medical Center in Aurora. Prime plans to centralize these services at other locations and invest in community maternal health. The Illinois Nurses Association criticized this move, expressing concern for the community’s loss of services.