St. Joe's Hospital CEO Leaving, Replacement Named: WJOL

JOLIET, IL — After just seven months, Saint Joseph Medical Center CEO Larry Coomes is leaving, WJOL reported.

Coomes, who joined St. Joe's in November, is leaving the role effective Monday and has accepted the CEO role at Prime Healthcare’s Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago, the station reported.

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Coomes sent a letter to staff saying he has "truly enjoyed my time in Joliet and believe that, together, we have made some significant progress ... " according to the outlet.

Wednesday afternoon, Prime announced in a memo that Leonard Freehof will become the new CEO, WJOL reported.

The news comes a little over a year after Prime Healthcare acquired eight Ascension Healthare hospitals in Illinois. Since then, Prime announced the decision to shut down the pediatric unit at St. Joe's.

Earlier this month, Patch reported that four nurses are suing both Prime and Ascension, alleging that severe understaffing has led to unsafe conditions for patients and burnout for staff, and that nurses who protest have been labeled troublemakers.