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Finding new ways to serve you where you are…

OSF HealthCare has always been here when you’ve needed us, but now we’re finding new ways to serve you where you are. We are constantly striving to help our community not just get better when sick or injured, but be well in every aspect of health. We continue to sharpen our focus on breaking down obstacles and connecting patients with the appropriate level of care to get them on the road to better management of their health.

Faith Community Nurse Program
The OSF Saint Francis Faith Community Nurse Program promotes holistic health, wellness and disease prevention. The faith community nurses work collaboratively with patients, families, churches and other community organizations. They serve as a liaison between the medical community and church community, with a focus on intentional care of the spirit. OSF Saint Francis Medical Center has three full-time faith community nurses who work in areas of Peoria where residents don’t enjoy good access to healthcare. Last year, we partnered with 26 faith-based organizations and had 19 faith community nurse volunteers. The team provides education, screenings, classes and advance care planning. It made more than 20,800 patient contacts throughout 2016 to date.

Care-A-Van
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center’s Care-A-Van—a new mobile van designed with two exam rooms and a waiting area—travels to where people work, pray and play to connect patients to care when they might not be able to get to the doctor on their own. It is staffed by OSF HealthCare, faith community nurses and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.

With the Care-A-Van stationed in a neighborhood, residents don’t have to travel for medical needs. They can ask questions and get education, screenings and immunizations, as well as help navigating the healthcare system and insurance. Already, more than 600 visits have been completed since its inception in December 2015. v OSF OnCall

Being available to patients means so much more than it used to. It means offering new and different ways for patients to get healthcare—even in the middle of the night. OSF OnCall is a virtual urgent care service that offers around-the-clock access to a provider from the comfort of the home, office or anywhere else. By using a smartphone, computer or tablet, a patient can connect with a board-certified provider ready to diagnose and treat them. This service offers an additional option for non-emergency health issues such as sinus infections, allergies, pink eye and more. OSF OnCall eliminates the need for travel, reduces time spent in a waiting room, and offers access any time for both current OSF patients and non-OSF patients.

Almost Home Kids
OSF HealthCare is always looking for ways to help those who have been hospitalized get better and stay better. That’s why Children’s Hospital of Illinois is planning to establish an Almost Home Kids for the Peoria region. Almost Home Kids will provide support, training and resources for parents and caregivers before they take their child with complex medical conditions home. Giving caregivers the confidence to provide the proper care their child needs gives that child the best chance to recover without a return trip to the hospital.

“This affiliation is an important step towards our goal of providing all children the right care in the right place at the right time,” says Kelly Nierstedt, president of Children’s Hospital of Illinois. “It’s simply the right thing to do for these children and their families.”

Health Assessments
OSF HealthCare offers free online health assessments to see if you’re at risk for conditions such as heart disease, stroke, back and neck pain, diabetes, breast cancer, lung cancer, osteoporosis, sleep apnea, joint pain and peripheral artery disease. Simply visit osfhealthcare.org to learn more.

As your partner for health, OSF HealthCare will continue to work not only on the health needs of our communities, but their spiritual needs as well. iBi

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