Ownership change at Joliet’s Ascension Saint Joseph coming soon

The new year will bring new ownership at Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet hospital.

A state review board last week approved the sale, opening the transition to new ownership in the coming months.

The sale of the Joliet hospital is expected to be completed sometime in the the first quarter of 2025.

Prime HealthCare, a California-based, for-profit health network is acquiring the hospital and other Illinois holdings from Ascension.

A spokeswoman for St. Louis-based Ascension said the change in ownership is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.

“Ascension Illinois leaders are grateful for the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board’s unanimous decision to approve the transfer of ownership of nine acute care hospitals and two ambulatory surgery centers from Ascension Illinois to Prime Healthcare,” Ascension spokeswoman Olga Solares said in a prepared statement. “We firmly believe the board’s approval of this project will preserve jobs and ensure needed healthcare access across Chicagoland, as well as investment in Illinois for the future.”

Ownership of the Joliet hospital has changed four times since the 1990s.

The Ascension deal with Prime HealthCare includes several hospitals in Illinois that have changed ownership along with Ascension Saint Joseph – Joliet and no longer will be under the ownership of a Catholic-based hospital group.

A statement from Prime Healthcare noted that the acquisition of nine Ascension hospitals in Illinois marks the company’s largest acquisition.

“It is an honor to be selected by Ascension to steward these facilities into the future,” the Prime statement said. “We look forward to completing the transaction process and bringing Prime Healthcare’s mission of saving and improving hospitals and uplifting communities to Illinois.”

Prime also said it expects the change in ownership to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.