CHICAGO (AP) – Four hospitals on Chicago’s South Side have scrapped plans to merge into a single health care system because Illinois lawmakers failed to set aside funding for the project. The $1.1 billion plan called for the merger of South Shore Hospital, Mercy Hospital & Medical Center, Advocate Trinity Hospital and St. Bernard Hospital. Their plan called for the construction of one new hospital and a network of community health centers. In a Tuesday letter to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services the leaders of the hospitals say they see no path forward for the project. The Legislature last week failed to approve $520 million over five years for the plan.
