OSF: Peru hospital to be reopened in fall

The closed Peru hospital will become OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center in Peru – it will remain a sister hospital to Ottawa – and it should open by Thanksgiving.

Once OSF HealthCare actually acquires it, that is.

“There are many, many, many steps that have to be taken to get that open.”

—  A.J. Quercigrossa, CEO Western Region at OSF HealthCare

An OSF executive said the network has not actually closed a deal to acquire the property from St. Margaret’s Health. A.J. Querciagrossa, CEO Western Region, said he’s confident OSF will do so, but meanwhile there are regulatory hurdles to contend with.

“There are many, many, many steps that have to be taken to get that open,” he said.

But OSF does have a timeline. The two clinics in Peru – on Midtown Road and Route 251 – and one in Granville will be open by July 31.

The Midtown Road plaza will be the primary care hub for the La Salle-Peru area, featuring a prompt care/urgent care with X-ray on site, expected to be open 12 hours a day. Spring Valley patients can go there or to Granville while OSF seeks a Spring Valley clinic.

“We don’t own any buildings in Spring Valley yet,” Querciagrossa said.

And the former Illinois Valley Community Hospital will be opened some time between mid-October and mid-November. Though the sale or property transfer between St. Margaret’s Health and OSF is not yet complete, OSF is proceeding with the regulatory approval. Ahead is an Aug. 15 hearing before the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board. If approved, the Peru hospital will be 60 to 90 days from opening.

Querciagrossa said Peru will not simply be an emergency room but rather a multi-service hospital, though some services have yet to be sorted. Regarding obstetrics, for example, OSF’s labor and delivery unit will remain in Ottawa – “We just got it moved and we’re not going to disrupt that,” he said – but OSF does foresee extending pre-natal and post-natal care to Peru.

OSF has an urgent message for Illinois Valley residents: If you have not yet procured your records, send for them. For all intents and purposes, anyone with records in the St. Margaret’s system should consider themselves new patients and should furnish their OSF provider with records.

“We do not have any of your medical records,” Querciagrossa said. “We need you to request them.”

Regulatory approval may be pending, but OSF has been busy at the hiring table. As of June 26, OSF has hired 266 healthcare workers from St. Margaret’s – plus 41 physicians and advanced practice providers – and they’re not finished.

“We still have over 150 open positions and will be hiring, as we open up services and as the timelines become more definitive.”

Some physicians will go to the Peru and Granville clinics while others have temporary locations in other OSF facilities. To find out where your provider is located, call 844-673-2778.

Querciagrossa said the healthcare landscape remains uncertain but OSF is committed to providing care long-term in the area voided by St. Margaret’s.

“This was predictable. This is happening across the country. This is not happening only in the Illinois Valley. We are going to sustain and make health care better in the Illinois Valley.”