NY -- Standard&Poor's CreditWire 12/1/97 -- Standard&Poor's today assigned its single-'A'-minus rating to Illinois Development Finance Authority's revenue refunding bonds series 1997, issued for CGH Medical Center, Ill. (CGH). At the same time, Standard&Poor's affirmed its single-'A'-minus rating on Sterling, Ill.'s refunding bonds series 1992 and 1993, issued for CGH. The rating reflects: -- Limited competition, with CGH dominating their primary service area capturing 80% of the area's admissions; -- Solid financial performance characterized by a light debt burden (3.5%), maximum annual debt service coverage of 4.6 times (x), and operating and excess margins of 5.0% and 7.1% respectively in fiscal 1997; -- Adequate liquidity position with a solid cash position of $16.6 million,
