Developer eyes Vibra Hospital property on State Street in Springfield; state’s contract for mental-health unit runs out in 2020
A Chicago-area developer says he has an agreement in place to buy Vibra Hospital and convert the building into housing once the hospital closes next year. The state’s contract with Vibra to operate a 30-bed mental health unit at the 1400 State St. hospital expires at the end of June 2020. Vibra has talked for years of its desire to close its Springfield operation. Vibra Healthcare, based in Pennsylvania, announced in 2017 its plans to close the 400,000-square-foot hospital, in part because of the difficulty of maintaining the 1950s-era building.