Rockford pastor to take over Javon Bea Hospital-Rockton on west side

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The pastor of a west side church has agreed to buy the former Javon Bea Hospital-Rockton from Mercyhealth, the health care company confirmed on Wednesday.

Pastor Melvin Brown and his wife, Sheila Brown, of Kingdom Authority International Church have signed a purchase agreement and are now closing on the former hospital facility.

“The Browns have spent more than 30 years ministering and providing social support for members of the Rockford community,” Kara Sankey, Mercyhealth’s vice president, said in a statement. “Their dedication to serving others, coupled with their vision for the building, will have a positive impact on the community.”

A purchase price was not shared. Records weren’t immediately available from the Winnebago County Clerk & Recorder’s Office.

Mercyhealth confirmed the purchase about an hour after Marissa Brown, the Browns’ daughter, shared the news on Facebook.

“Their vision goes beyond ownership — they have exciting plans to invest in and uplift our community in a big way,” she wrote. “Stay tuned … more updates coming soon.”

Pastor Melvin Brown declined to comment when reached by phone Wednesday. He said he hoped to be able to share more information next week.

Mercyhealth said it will continue to have a presence on the west side as the Browns take over the hospital building.

“Mercyhealth will continue to have over 500 employees in our physician clinic at the Rockton campus,” Sankey wrote. “This building will house a number of clinical and administrative services. Additionally, we will maintain our REACT hangar and EMS training center on a long-term basis.”

Brown’s interest in the property set off a back-and-forth war of words between Mayor Tom McNamara and Mercyhealth CEO Javon Bea last week, although neither named him.

McNamara had said the sale “appears to put the property in the hands of an individual/organization that lacks both a proven track record of successful projects and the financial capacity and wherewithal to bring a redevelopment to fruition.”

McNamara released that statement on Aug. 26, declining to confirm who the individual was at the time.

“Dumping the property to an individual/organization without the resources, plan or capacity to follow through would almost certainly leave the building vacant, creating another source of blight on the west side,” he said.

Bea had fired back that the property was offered as a donation to the city, but the mayor declined.

“Now, when a black entrepreneur has stepped forward to invest in this property, the mayor has chosen not to support the effort but instead to undermine it. This is more than just shortsighted — it reflects a racially biased double standard,” Bea said. “Questioning an individual’s potential for success before they are even given a fair opportunity sends a clear message: city leadership is more comfortable dictating failure than fostering success, particularly on the west side of Rockford.”

Brown was in news headlines for years following a fatal shooting by police of Mark Anthony Barmore inside the day care attached to his church in 2009. He and the church later sued the city over the emotional distress suffered by the children and daycare workers, as well as for the loss of revenue the church experienced after the shooting.

They had asked for $4 million, but after a three-week trial the award was about $360,000 for day care staff and children present when the shooting occurred.

On Wednesday, McNamara released a statement that wished the owners success while expressing doubt that they have the capacity to manage a large project.

“Let me be clear — I wish nothing but the best for the new owners. What frustrates me most is that Mercyhealth has now successfully carried out its plan to dispose of the property on North Rockton Avenue with little regard for the impact this will have on our community’s residents. For Mercyhealth, this is a bailout and a tax write-off,” McNamara wrote. “I am confident the new owners have the best of intentions; however, I cannot imagine that hospital leadership has set them up for success. Simply maintaining the property will cost approximately $1.5 million each year. My greatest concern, which I voiced last week, is that any new owner will struggle to be successful without the resources, planning and capacity required to manage the scale and expense of such a massive property.”

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas