Cancer Center Receives State Approval
Center planned for campus of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Ill.
The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board has approved a Certificate of Need application by OSF HealthCare, which will allow for the eventual construction of a comprehensive cancer center on the campus of OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria.
The regional destination center will require significant community partnerships and philanthropic efforts to become a reality, but the decision by the state review board is an important milestone.
“This destination cancer center will allow OSF HealthCare to bring together clinicians and technology, and enable us to connect across our Ministry to improve the lives of those we serve. We are thrilled with the approval by the Review Board and look forward to the ongoing efforts to bring this center to fruition,” said Bob Sehring, CEO, OSF HealthCare.
Illinois ranks seventh in the nation for cancer cases with downstate Illinois projected to see 10,000 new cancer cases per year.
The comprehensive cancer center will feature patient education and support spaces, an infusion center, and a full range of cancer-related services, including proton beam therapy and brachytherapy.
The proton beam will be just the second in Illinois, and one of only 32 centers currently in North America treating patients. Having proton beam therapy available for those receiving treatment for cancer will reduce treatment times, decrease complications by sparing healthy tissue, reduce side effects, and allow for less disruption in patients’ and caregivers’ lives.
The timeline for construction of the proposed $237 million project will depend on philanthropic fundraising efforts, with a goal of providing the first treatments at the center as early as 2023.
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 more than 23,600 Mission Partners in 147 locations, including 14 hospitals – nine acute care, four critical access – with 2,097 licensed beds, and two colleges of nursing throughout Illinois and Michigan. The OSF HealthCare physician network employs more than 1,500 primary care, specialist and advanced practice providers. OSF HealthCare, through OSF Home Care Services, operates an extensive network of home health and hospice services. It also owns Pointcore, Inc., comprised of health care-related businesses; OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization; and OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups. More at https://www.osfhealthcare.org.
OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, with 649 beds, is the fifth-largest medical center in Illinois. A major teaching affiliate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, it is the area’s only Level I Trauma Center, the highest level designated in trauma care. It serves as the resource hospital for emergency medical services for north-central Illinois. It is home to OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois and the OSF Illinois Neurological Institute. OSF Saint Francis and Children’s Hospital have been designated Magnet Status for excellence in nursing care since 2004. Learn more at https://www.osfhealthcare.org/saint-francis/.