Hospital group to expand again

The parent organization of OSF Saint Mary Medical Center in Galesburg, and OSF Holy Family Medical Center in Monmouth says it expects to grow again.

Peoria-based OSF HealthCare says it’s in what are termed “exclusive” talks with Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers, based in the Chicago suburb of Evergreen Park, which is expected to lead to a formal merger in early 2020.

In statements supplied by OSF, CEO Bob Sehring says the two entities simply wanted to continue to provide Catholic-based health care in that suburb, and that’s why talks began six months ago.

“After that, it was all about the cultural fit,” says Sehring.  “It really was two organizations through a lot of conversations — leadership conversations, conversations of the Sisters for both organizations — and really coming to the great belief and understanding that there was such synergy between those two cultures, that it was the right fit.”

Sehring says while it may seem like a tall task moving into a more urban area like the Chicago suburbs, it’s really not.

“The issues are much the same:  access — access to health care; transportation — can folks get to where they need to be,” says Sehring.  “All of those are the same challenges that we see here in terms of the social determinants of health.”

Sehring says, however, the solutions will be different; but he says that’s okay, since it will still be what he calls a great extension of the things OSF HealthCare already does well.

Pending regulatory and other approvals, the merger should be complete in the early part of next year.

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