Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was treated at Springfield hospital for complications after urology procedure

Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune on May 15, 2026

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gov. JB Pritzker sought treatment at a Springfield hospital this week after experiencing a “minor complication” following an outpatient urology procedure he had earlier this month, though the governor was not admitted, his spokesman said Friday.

Matt Hill, the governor’s spokesman, said Pritzker went to the hospital Wednesday night.

“Gov. Pritzker had a minor complication from his urology procedure late Wednesday night, was treated by a doctor at a Springfield hospital, and then went home. He had a full day of work after on Thursday meeting with legislators, Illinoisans, and staff,” said Hill, adding that the governor squeezed in time for a haircut.

Hill said he did not know which hospital Pritzker visited. But the state’s capital has a couple of major hospitals, Springfield Memorial and HSHS St. John’s. A spokeswoman from Springfield Memorial would only say, “Memorial Health is committed to respecting our patients’ privacy regarding their health, and as such, we have no comment,” while a spokeswoman for HSHS St. John’s said the hospital “does not have a patient listed by that name for the time frame mentioned.”

The hospital visit comes after the governor’s staff said he took a break from public events after completing a “routine outpatient urology procedure” on May 1. Pritzker’s staff would not say what the procedure was for.

Pritzker’s public schedule has been extremely light since the May 1 procedure. He didn’t have any public events last week and only appeared before the media once this week, when on Wednesday — hours before Pritzker sought treatment at the Springfield hospital — he and other state and Chicago Democratic leaders greeted party leaders who visited Chicago as they continue the process of determining where to host the 2028 Democratic National Convention.

In response to a question at the DNC event about whether he could share any additional information about his health or any ongoing concerns, Pritzker said, “Nope, you guys got plenty of information, I think.”

Questions about Pritzker’s health come as he faces Republican Darren Bailey in November in a bid for a third term, amid speculation that he could be preparing to run for president in 2028.

Since taking office in 2019, Pritzker has rarely addressed his health publicly.

In 2019, Pritzker spent a few weeks recovering from a hairline fracture in his left thigh bone, which his office said was diagnosed late that August after knee pain “became significantly worse” as he spent significant time on his feet at that summer’s state fairs in Springfield and Du Quoin.

In 2022, his office revealed he had tested positive for COVID-19. and was experiencing mild symptoms. Pritzker, who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine in March 2021 and two recommended booster doses, was prescribed the antiviral Paxlovid and worked from home after testing positive.

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—Chicago Tribune’s Dan Petrella contributed.

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