Prime, Ascension deal includes Joliet-area senior living, satellite facilities

Prime Healthcare’s acquisition of Ascension properties goes beyond Saint Joseph – Joliet hospital.

The sale of the hospital, which marked its 140th anniversary in 2022, was the focus of attention when the deal was announced July 25.

But California-based Prime Healthcare also will own Villa Franciscan Place, the senior-living facility located on the Joliet hospital campus, and Saint Joseph – Joliet satellite facilities when the deal is completed.

The satellite offices include a primary-care facility and 16615 Illinois Route 59 in Plainfield and an imaging center at 500 S. Weber Road in Romeoville.

The deal, expected to be completed by the end of this year, goes far beyond Joliet, taking in nine Chicago-area hospitals along with their satellite offices and four affiliated senior-living facilities.

Other hospitals in the deal include Ascension Saint Mary – Kankakee, which has been affiliated with Saint Joseph – Joliet under corporate umbrellas that at times have put chief administrators in charge of both hospitals.

Prime Healthcare pointed to the scope of the deal at the time it was announced, noting it is the largest acquisition the company has ever made.

“With this acquisition, Prime Healthcare will have expanded its presence to the third largest metropolitan area in the United States,” according to a news release announcing the deal. “Prime already has facilities in the New York/New Jersey area and Los Angeles.”

The Ascension acquisition will expand a Prime healthcare network that already has 44 hospitals and 300 outpatient facilities in 14 states. The company says it operates in more than 600 communities.

“Our agreement with Ascension reflects our decades-long mission of saving, improving and investing in community hospitals and we are excited to bring these Ascension Illinois facilities into our Prime Healthcare family, preserving our shared values and mutual commitment to patient-centered care,” Dr. Sunny Bhatia, president and chief medical officer of Prime Healthcare, said in the release.

St. Louis-based Ascension Health will continue to have medical facilities in Illinois after the deal is completed. The deal did not include three Ascension Alexian Brothers hospitals in the northwest suburbs and Ascension Saint Joseph – Chicago hospital. Ascension also keeps seven senior-living facilities.