Sparks fly over Illinois hospital rejection

Charges of bias and inappropriate behavior flew between Naperville-based Edward Hospital officials and members of a Illinois regulatory board just minutes after the board for the third time in five years rejected Edward's request to build a hospital in southwest suburban Plainfield. Edward had requested permission to build a 130-bed, $242 million facility on 60 acres it owns. Edward already operates an immediate-care center there, and won permission from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board to upgrade a portion of that center to a free-standing emergency room. But the board denied Edward's request to build a hospital on the site, saying there are more than enough hospitals nearby.