OSF HealthCare buys Sycamore family practice clinic

SYCAMORE – OSF HealthCare recently bought Edward-Elmhurst Health’s Sycamore Family Practice, and health officials commemorated the new path Tuesday with a blessing ceremony and dedication.

The Sycamore-based family practice clinic, 954 W. State St., Sycamore, opened under its new name Monday. The clinic serves about 10,000 patients, officials said. With the OSF takeover, it’s expected that patient numbers will grow along with services and access to OSF’s network. OSF is a nonprofit Catholic health care system that operates facilities across Illinois and Michigan.

Dr. Cathy Ruetten, who has practiced family medicine at the clinic with her husband since 1994, said she’s glad to carry on serving her patients.

“I like caring for folks and being in the Sycamore community,” Ruetten said. “It’s such a great community.”

During Tuesday’s dedication, the Rev. Pierre Polycarpe prayed over the staff, blessed them with holy anointed oil and blessed the facility with holy water.

According to a news release from OSF Health Care, the health care system will acquire most of the Sycamore clinic’s practice’s assets and will lease the building. Physicians and staff who worked under the old banner of Edward-Elmhurst will now be employed by OSF. The clinic has employed more than 30 physicians, Ruetten said.

The Sycamore clinic was founded in 1947 by Dr. Irving Frank, who started the practice after he served in World Ward II, Ruetten said. Frank eventually moved his family to the area, and in 1977 his son-in-law joined him at the practice, the same year the current West State Street facility was built.

Before the clinic was operated by Edward-Elmhurst Health, it was Kishwaukee Medical Associates.

With its OSF expansion, the Sycamore clinic will see increased access to patient care needs such as X-rays, EKG tests and general wellness exams, Ruetten said.

“Primary care is definitely a needed foundational support for the people of Sycamore and DeKalb County,” Ruetten said. “We’re excited to join the OSF family and continue the tradition that’s been started here of providing care in this community. OSF has a history of partnering in this community. They already have a specialty clinic in our community ... so this will allow us to then expand those services.”

OSF HealthCare also operates a facility at 2540 Hauser Ross Drive in Sycamore, which hold its Cardiovascular Institute and OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois-Congenital Heart Center, according to its website.

Another new feature for the Sycamore clinic with the ownership change is the on-call digital operating system, which allows patients to access virtual care 24/7, said Dawna Menke, vice president of operations at OSF Medical Group. Patients also will have direct connection to OSF St. Anthony’s Hospital in Rockford, which also offers a level 1 trauma center and is the only burn unit outside of Springfield, Menke said.

OSF Health Care operates 2,000 licensed beds and employs more than 20,000.

“So what does this all mean for the DeKalb community? It means that you now have an access of broad network of resources and services beyond the walls of this clinic,” Menke said. “We’re all one team.”