Hospitals in Illinois range from large academic medical centers on Chicago's Near West Side to small community hospitals that serve a single county seat in the western or southern part of the state. This page helps you find the right facility, understand who regulates it, and prepare for a visit. Our listings cover cities from Chicago and Evanston in the north to Carbondale and Marion in the south, with addresses and phone numbers taken from public records.

Use the listings below to compare hospitals by city and county. Then call the facility before you travel, especially for scheduled procedures, visiting rules or records requests. Phone numbers and department locations change, and large systems often route calls through a central operator.

Who Licenses and Oversees Hospitals in Illinois

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) licenses general hospitals under the Hospital Licensing Act. Its Office of Health Care Regulation inspects facilities, investigates complaints and enforces minimum standards for patient rights, safety and services. A hospital needs a current IDPH license to operate, whether it is a large nonprofit system or a small county hospital.

Building a new hospital, adding beds or closing a service is a separate process. The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board decides those requests under the Health Facilities Planning Act, a certificate-of-need program. That is why major hospital projects in Illinois usually involve a written application and a public hearing.

Medicaid is administered by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Most members receive coverage through managed care plans under HealthChoice Illinois. Which hospital you can use without a surprise bill therefore depends on your plan's network, so check it before any non-emergency visit.

Several other rules shape what you experience at the front desk:

Hospitals in Illinois by Region: Chicago, the Collar Counties and Downstate

Where you live changes your options more than almost anything else. Illinois has 102 counties, and hospital capacity is concentrated in the northeast. Travel times grow quickly once you leave the Interstate corridors.

Chicago and Cook County

Chicago has the most listings of any city in our database, and Cook County is the state's largest hospital market. It includes academic medical centers, safety-net hospitals operated by Cook County Health, children's hospitals and neighborhood community hospitals. Our records include Advocate Health Care on North Ravenswood Avenue in Chicago, Evanston Hospital on Ridge Avenue, Rush Oak Park Hospital on South Maple Avenue and Advocate Christ Hospital & Medical Center on West 95th Street in Oak Lawn. They also include Metrosouth Medical Center in Blue Island and Franciscan St. James Health in Chicago Heights.

Distance on the map can mislead you here. Traffic on the Dan Ryan, the Eisenhower or Lake Shore Drive can add a lot of time. Paramedics also follow regional protocols that may send you to a trauma, stroke or cardiac center rather than the nearest door. For non-urgent care, choose a hospital in your insurance network that your family can reach easily by car or transit.

The Collar Counties

Around Chicago, Lake County, DuPage County, Kane, McHenry and Will counties hold a dense mix of community hospitals and large health-system campuses. In Lake County, our listings include Vista Medical Center East on North Sheridan Road in Waukegan and Midwestern Region Med Center on Elisha Avenue in Zion. In DuPage County, Adventist Midwest Health is listed in Hinsdale. Rush-Copley Medical Center on Ogden Avenue serves Aurora, and Sherman Health is listed on North Randall Road in Elgin. Woodstock Hospital on Doty Road serves McHenry County.

Ownership in this area has shifted over the years. Centegra Health System, for example, became part of Northwestern Medicine in 2018, so signs and websites may carry the newer name. If a listing and a building sign do not match, trust the phone number and confirm the name when you call.

Central, Western, Metro East and Southern Illinois

Downstate, a few cities act as regional hubs. Peoria County anchors central-western Illinois, and Methodist Medical Center of Illinois on Northeast Glen Oak Avenue is one of its major hospitals. Springfield, the state capital, is served by St Johns Hospital on East Carpenter Street. Decatur Memorial Hospital on North Edward Street covers Macon County. In the northwest, Saint Anthony Medical Center on East State Street serves Rockford, and Illini Hospital in Silvis serves the Illinois side of the Quad Cities.

Across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Alton Memorial Hospital on Memorial Drive and Saint Elizabeths Hospital on South 3rd Street in Belleville serve the Metro East area. Many families there also use St. Louis hospitals in Missouri. Farther south, Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, St. Mary's Good Samaritan in Mount Vernon and the Marion VA Medical Center serve a wide rural region. Carbondale is more than 300 miles from Chicago.

Small rural hospitals such as Mercer County Hospital in Aledo typically provide emergency care, basic inpatient services and diagnostics. Patients who need specialty surgery, advanced cardiac care or neonatal intensive care are usually stabilized first. They are then moved by ground or air ambulance to a larger center.

Reading Illinois Hospital Listings: Names, Systems and Campuses

Not every entry in a hospital directory is a building with an emergency room. Some listings represent a health system's administrative address, such as Advocate Health Care or Adventist Midwest Health. Others, like the Sherman Health entry in Elgin, point to a physician practice connected with a system. Names also lag behind mergers, which is why you may still see older brand names such as Presence in public records.

Before you drive anywhere, confirm three things by phone. Ask whether the address has an emergency department if you need one. Ask whether the department you want is on that campus. Ask whether your insurance is accepted. Large systems often split services across several buildings, and the main address may house only administration or outpatient clinics.

What to Bring and When to Go Before a Hospital Visit in Illinois

Call 911 for chest pain, signs of a stroke, severe bleeding, trouble breathing or any situation that could become life threatening. Ambulance service in Illinois is provided by local fire departments, private companies or hospital-based EMS systems, depending on where you live. For a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988. Poison Control is 1-800-222-1222.

For a planned visit, bring a photo ID, your insurance or Medicaid card, a current medication list, known allergies and the name of your primary care doctor. If you have an advance directive or a POLST form, bring a copy. Ask early whether the hospital's financial assistance policy applies to you, because applications often have deadlines.

If a problem arises with your care or safety, start with the hospital's patient relations office. If it is not resolved, you can file a complaint with the Illinois Department of Public Health. Quality information is also available through The Joint Commission and the federal Care Compare tool from Medicare.

Hospitals across Illinois provide a full range of medical services from emergency and trauma care to specialized treatment programs, with public and nonprofit facilities playing a particularly important role in serving uninsured and rural populations throughout the state.

Hospitals locations are available in 153 cities across Illinois. They are spread across 79 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Chicago, Peoria, Alton, which serve as major medical centers with academic teaching hospitals, trauma centers, and specialized treatment facilities for the surrounding region.

Residents of Illinois should know their nearest emergency room location before a medical crisis occurs, and should check their insurance network to understand which hospitals in the state are covered under their plan.

Hospitals by Counties

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Residents of Illinois who face large hospital bills should ask about financial assistance programs before the bill goes to collections. Most hospitals are required to notify patients about charity care options, and applications can often be submitted months after a visit.

Browse Hospitals by county across Illinois to find the nearest location.

Finding the Right Hospital Through Illinois County Pages

Hospital licensing rules are statewide, but hospital care is local in practice. The county page for your area narrows the list to nearby facilities and makes it easier to compare options before you need them. Start with Madison County if you live in the Metro East area around Alton, or Winnebago County for the Rockford region.

Take ten minutes now to learn which hospital your insurance plan prefers, which one is closest to home and work, and which offers the service your family is most likely to need, such as pediatrics or cardiac care. Save those phone numbers in your phone. Write the address of the closest emergency department on your family's emergency list. This matters most for parents of young children, older adults with chronic conditions and anyone living far from a city. In a rural county, the nearest hospital may be a long drive away, and knowing where an ambulance will take you saves time. Our listings give contact details, but IDPH licensing records remain the final authority on a facility's status.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hospitals in Illinois

The Illinois Department of Public Health licenses and inspects hospitals under the Hospital Licensing Act. Its Office of Health Care Regulation handles complaints about patient care, safety and patient rights. Start by raising the concern with the hospital's patient relations or patient advocate office, and keep notes on dates, names and what was said. If that does not resolve it, file a complaint with IDPH. Hospitals that accept Medicare are also reviewed under federal standards and by accrediting bodies such as The Joint Commission. For billing disputes, you can also contact the Illinois Attorney General's consumer protection staff.

Illinois designates hospitals as trauma centers at different levels, and the most advanced Level I centers are concentrated in major cities such as Chicago, Peoria and Springfield. Stroke and cardiac capabilities are clustered in a similar way. In rural counties, the local hospital stabilizes you first and then transfers you if you need more advanced care. In a true emergency you do not have to choose a hospital. Call 911, and paramedics follow regional EMS protocols to take you to the most appropriate facility. If you arrive on your own, any hospital with an emergency department must screen and stabilize you.

Several options exist. The Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act requires hospitals to give eligible uninsured patients discounted rates, and nonprofit hospitals must also keep a written financial assistance policy under federal law. Ask the billing office for the application and income limits, and submit it before any stated deadline. You may also qualify for Medicaid, which you can apply for through the state's online ABE system, or for a marketplace plan through Get Covered Illinois. Request an itemized bill, ask about payment plans, and do not ignore collection notices. The Fair Patient Billing Act gives patients certain notice rights before a bill goes to collections.

Yes. Emergency care is available at the nearest appropriate hospital regardless of state lines. Many families in the Metro East area around Alton and Belleville use St. Louis hospitals as part of normal care, and Rock Island County residents can reach hospitals in Davenport, Iowa. Insurance is the main issue. A plan's network may or may not include out-of-state hospitals, and Medicaid managed care plans may require prior approval for non-emergency care outside Illinois. Call your insurer before a planned visit. After an emergency out of state, ask the hospital to bill your plan and keep copies of every record and bill.

Contact the hospital's health information management or medical records department, or use its patient portal if one is available. You will usually complete a written authorization form and show photo ID. Under the federal HIPAA right of access, hospitals generally must provide your records within 30 days and may charge only reasonable, cost-based fees. Illinois law also limits what hospitals can charge for copies. If you request records for another person, such as a parent or spouse, you need legal authority, such as a power of attorney or court appointment. Ask for imaging on disc, since X-rays and scans are often kept separately.

The Marion VA Medical Center, at 2401 West Main Street in Marion, Williamson County, is a federal hospital for eligible veterans in the southern part of the state. Its phone number is 618-997-5311. It is run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and is not licensed by IDPH. The VA decides enrollment and eligibility, so apply before you need care when possible. In an emergency, go to the nearest hospital without waiting for approval, and ask the hospital or a family member to notify the VA promptly, ideally within 72 hours. Veterans elsewhere in Illinois should call the VA to ask about their nearest medical center.