Plainfield Cancer Center To Close Monday For Coronavirus Response

PLAINFIELD, IL — Officials with the Edward-Elmhurst Health Group told Patch on Friday that it plans to temporarily close its Plainfield cancer treatment center at 24600 W. 127th St., starting Monday, April 6. Keith Hartenberger, Edward-Elmhurst's System Director for Public Relations, said that the primary reason behind the center's closure was so that staff could be redirected to respond to the growing coronavirus crisis.

"The closing of the Edward Cancer Center in Plainfield is coronavirus-related," Hartenberger said. "We're in the process of temporarily closing many of our outpatient locations due to coronavirus so that many of those employees can be used in other roles that are needed to treat COVID patients."

Hartenberger said about 20 total staff will be moved out of the cancer center. Not all of them will be transferred directly to coronavirus response. For any that are, he did not comment on if they had received training on coronavirus treatment.

"Not all of them will be in coronavirus-related roles. We have what's called a labor pool... individuals are assigned to tasks, to jobs that are needed as determined by the different departments throughout the [Edward-Elmhurst] system," Hartenberger said.

There is no set date for when the cancer center may re-open for normal operations. Current cancer patients who up until now had been receiving treatment in Plainfield will be transferred to the Edward Cancer Center in Naperville at 120 Spalding Dr., #111.

"In all our cases with the outpatient locations that are temporarily closed, we're saying 'until further notice,'" Hartenberger said. "To target specific dates is really a challenge."

For information about the Edward-Elmhust Health Group or about how this closure may affect you or a loved one's cancer treatment, contact the Naperville Cancer Center at (630) 646-2273.

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