OSF Center for Health - Streator, Illinois opens new chapter in rural health care delivery

PEORIA, Ill., Dec. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- It's an evolution that's been nearly four years in the making.

After Hospital Sisters Health System opted to close St. Mary's Hospital in Streator, Illinois, OSF HealthCare acquired the building in early 2016 with plans of creating an outpatient center. It included the creation of a new health care delivery model to better serve the needs of the mostly rural region.

The plan included working with community leaders and partnering with local social service agencies to address and meet health and wellness needs identified by the residents themselves.

Areas of concern were generated from the Community Health Needs Assessment for LaSalle County, Illinois and suggestions from regional health organizations. The result has been the creation of the Live Well Streator initiative, which has identified and addressed key areas of concern, such as drug abuse and healthy eating.

Best practices have emerged from the pilot and they'll continue to develop from this pilot initiative, according to Don Damron, vice president of Ambulatory Services for OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center.

"We involve our own models for delivering care," said Damron. He added, "We bring in technology to support care and connectivity and access in rural communities." Damron added, "The building is more than just a renovation to support clinical services, but it will be a center for health and wellbeing. It will also allow co-location of community partners which help the sustainability and which will help us address the social determinants of care and health inequities." 

To better understand the social determinants of health for the region, OSF HealthCare and area partners will use a new digital platform called IMPACT (Innovating and Mobilizing Partners and Communities Together). IMPACT Streator provides more than 100 health and quality-of-life indicators, mapping and data visualization tools, and measures of socio-economic needs specific to neighborhoods. The new IMPACT Streator website will engage the community through tools such as an event calendar, available resources, latest news, community polls, plus tracking and evaluating the impact of community efforts on health outcomes.

Partnerships have been established through this initiative, including an OSF collaboration with the Streator, Illinois YMCA to upgrade the Y's fitness center. The Center for Health will also serve as a site to improve community education opportunities with numerous health-related support organizations such as the American Cancer Society.

Other co-located service agencies at the OSF Center for Health ? Streator include North Central Behavioral Health Systems and LaSalle County Health Department's Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC). In early 2020, the Catholic Charities Guardian Angel program will also be co-located.

Transportation needs for patients to make their medical appointments has been addressed. And OSF was successful in getting state approval for Illinois' first rural free-standing emergency center.

The centerpiece of the OSF rural health care initiative is completion of a $30.5 million renovation to the OSF Center for Health ? Streator. It includes improvements to OSF specialty clinics, rehabilitation, primary care and diagnostic imaging.

In addition to the refreshed building, Damron wants Streator residents who tour and use the Center for Health to understand the grander concept of what the project and its initiatives mean for them and the broader community.

"We cannot move forward in the delivery of care in a sustainable, effective way in a building that was meant for a totally different purpose at a totally different time," said Damron. "So, we're hoping that, from the building standpoint, they see the benefits of what a resource this brings to them as a community hub and more than just the OSF services that are provided in there."

The Spring Street facility also has a new entrance and lobby, upgrades to registration, meeting rooms and a TECH (Technology, Education and Community Health) Café for patients and visitors to learn more about taking accountability for their health. The TECH Café is an innovative approach to connecting patients with community resources or training and education on technology and digital solutions, such as wearable fitness trackers, OSF MyChart and more.

Having overseen this project since the beginning, Damron says he's most proud of the OSF Sisters having the foresight, courage and commitment to see and understand the needs of the Streator community and to invest the resources necessary to deliver on a promise of providing the region access to health care.

"It's an opportunity to look at a new model for care," said Damron. "And as we see people's trust, increase in their engagement with OSF HealthCare around this project, it really makes me proud for the community."

OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.  OSF HealthCare employs nearly 21,000 Mission Partners (employees) in 126 locations, including 13 hospitals ? nine acute care, four critical access ? and two colleges of nursing. Its physician network employs more than 1,200 primary care, specialist physicians, and advanced practice providers. More at www.osfinnovation.org and www.osfhealthcare.org. 

Contact: Karen Brodbeck | Vice President of Brand Management, OSF HealthCare | (815) 993-3995

SOURCE OSF HealthCare