For the second time in two months, the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board tabled until April the proposal to merge Kenneth Hall Regional Hospital in East St. Louis with Touchette Regional Hospital in neighboring Centreville, Ill.
In a statement, the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation said, “We are disappointed the application was not approved today.”
Twenty busloads of people against the merger traveled to Springfield, Ill. early this morning to be present for the board’s decision. Nearly a thousand people overflowed the meeting room, hallways and corridors at the meeting site.
“We had senior citizens, children and people from every walk of life there,” said Kelvin McNeil, pastor of Body of Christ Worship Center in East St. Louis.