Temporary Joliet Hospitals? City IDs 3 Sites If Necessary

JOLIET, IL —Mayor Bob O'Dekirk said Friday that city officials have identified three possible locations for a temporary hospital facility in the event that AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet and Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox become overrun with too many new coronavirus patients.

The mayor said Joliet has 96 confirmed coronavirus cases so far. He said it was his understanding that AMITA and Silver Cross each have about 30 coronavirus patients under their care at the moment. Will County Health Department also announced on Friday that the total number of coronavirus cases in the entire county stands at 456, including 11 deaths.

O'Dekirk and Fire Chief Greg Blaskey talked about setting up temporary hospital facilities during Friday morning's latest coronavirus news conference. Joliet is the state's third largest city, with 149,000 residents.

The possible hospital sites, the mayor and fire chief said, include Joliet Park District facilities such as the Hartman Recreation Center in the 500 block of Collins Street, Chicagoland Speedway near Laraway Road and the empty Kmart building at the busy corner of West Jefferson Street and Larkin Avenue.

"We have identified multiple locations, and we've talked with AMITA," Blaskey said during Friday's news conference.

Illinois Coronavirus Update April 3: 7,697 Cases, 167 Deaths: Don't miss updates about precautions in the Joliet area as they are announced.

O'Dekirk reminded everyone the empty Kmart property is owned by a private investment company in New York.

However, city staff have spoken with the real estate investors, and they're willing to let the Kmart serve as a temporary medical site for coronavirus patients in Joliet, if necessary, O'Dekirk added.

City officials stressed there is currently not a need to open additional hospital sites in Joliet. Rather, the city is trying to be proactive in the event AMITA St. Joe's finds itself overwhelmed with coronavirus patients and face a shortage of hospital beds.

The mayor and fire chief also explained that setting up a temporary hospital site would need authorization from county, state and federal public health officials.

"It's not our decision, we just want to stress that if it happens, we're going to be ready to go," O'Dekirk told Joliet Patch on Friday.

O'Dekirk said that Joliet Park District director Brad Staub and Chicagoland Speedway CEO Scott Paddock had reached out to let city officials know both of their facilities could be made available if local hospitals are overrun.

On a related note, the number of Stateville Correctional Center prisoners being hospitalized with the coronavirus at St. Joe's remains on the decline, O'Dekirk said.

He said the National Guard has arrived at Stateville and is now in the process of erecting modular field hospitals, still often called M.A.S.H. units, to provide medical care and treatment for Stateville inmates.

At least four Stateville prisoners who were hospitalized at St. Joe's have been moved to other Illinois hospitals. However, a few prisoners at St. Joe's are in critical condition and cannot be moved elsewhere, O'Dekirk said.

Related:

• St. Joe's Nurses Told Reuse Masks Until They Fall Apart
• Illinois Coronavirus Update: Cases Climb Nearly 1,000 Per Day
• 15 Employees At Will Co. Health Dept. Have Coronavirus
• Several Joliet Restaurants Opt To Stay Closed For Now