Newsroom OSF HealthCare

The 6th Annual End of School Year Bash continued to celebrate student achievement by providing school supplies and essential items to families in need. OSF HealthCare was among a select group of sponsors for this event.

Get to know Dr. John Vozenilek, vice president and chief medical officer for innovation and digital health through this profile for Peoria Magazines.

This Becker's Healthcare podcast features Michelle Conger, Chief Strategy Officer for OSF Healthcare and CEO of OSF Gabriel Digital Health. She discusses how her role as CSO has changed during the pandemic, how OSF is helping those infected by COVID-19, and more.

Before Patti Vaughan retired Monday after 43 years as a registered nurse at Little Company of Mary, she took a slight COVID-19 detour. She became seriously ill but then recovered and refused to retire early because she said being an OSF nurse wasn't a job, it was a calling.

A community project called "Next to Normal Story Slam" allows individuals to share stories that promote understanding of their personal experience and often focus on a theme. The latest effort has gone virtual and so videos are shared including this one from OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center Nursing Supervisor Sheri Piper. WGLT Radio featured Sheri's story on it's podcast, "The Leadoff"and it is featured at about 4:30 seconds into the podcast and runs a little over two minutes. Take a listen.

This episode features Michelle Conger, Chief Strategy Officer for OSF Healthcare and CEO of OSF Gabriel Digital Health. Here, she discusses how her role as CSO has changed during the pandemic, how OSF is helping those infected by COVID-19, and more.

Jackie Kernan, President of OSF HealthCare Saint Luke Medical Center and OSF Holy Family Medical Center, shared with WKEI radio how OSF Saint Luke is safely resuming services that had been temporarily put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These care areas include elective surgeries, screening procedures, seasonal immunizations, rehabilitation services, and more. Listen to her full interview

The Chicago Tribune shares the story of OSF nurse Shelby Voyles. Shelby volunteered to work the overnight shift in the intensive care unit at OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center, a 298-bed hospital serving a portion of southern Cook County hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 outbreak.

OSF HealthCare Director of Infection Prevention and Control Lori Grooms explains the importance of following Stay at Home orders to help flatten the curve or increase in the spread of COVID-19.

The Chicago Tribune published a photo essay that highlights the faces on the front lines dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care heroes from two Chicago-area hospitals, including OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary, shared the experience of treating those facing down a serious health threat.

Radio Host Roger Monroe of WAZU interviews Dr. John Vozenilek, VP/Chief Medical Officer for OSF Innovation and Saint Gabriel Digital Health for OSF HealthCare. Dr. Vozenilek explains a new OSF collaboration with the state of Illinois for a home monitoring program using specially trained pandemic health workers.

Host H. Wayne Wilson directs questions from social media during this live, one-hour broadcast that included OSF Innovation leader Dr. John Vozenilek and other health care leaders. Questions include can the novel coronavirus change like the flu each season, can a person be reinfected, and where can people struggling with mental health issues find resources.

WMBD-TV did a story on the 24/7 pediatric emergency room at OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria

Peoria surgeon Dr. Sonia Orcutt has landed an $80,000 grant to study use of 3D technology and Virtual Reality, created at the Jump Simulation and Education Center. Pediatric Surgeon Mathew Bramlet's technology has been used to plan complicated heart surgeries for infants and children but Orcutt's study will look at whether it can be used for other, complex surgeries. The goal is to determine if using 3D technology to prepare for surgery improves efficiency and outcomes.

One of they key leaders behind OSF Healthcare's digital transformation and strategy talks about how the health system is innovating to advance access to care while staying ahead of uncertainty. Michelle Conger is quoted in this article highlighting the take aways from a recent roundtable discussion of industry leaders.

This story in The Telgraph newspaper in Alton, Illinois highlights a weekend gathering of the Sisters to commemorate the founding of the order in Germany and expansoin to six states in the US and eight other countries including Cuba, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia and Tanzania.

This interview with WGIL Radio Host Will Stevenson features a doctor with OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institutewho explains Dystonia, a disease that took the life of life of retired Sesame Street performer/puppeteer Caroll Spinner who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. Dr. Dronacharya (“Dron”) Lamichhane says people may have it, and not even know it.

OSF HealthCare Audiologist Laurel Donaldson explains noise-induced hearing loss in children is on the rise and parents need to make sure they pay attention to detect when their child might be struggling. Also, hearing loss in older adults can be so gradual and many adults don't get their hearing tested regularly. Eventually hearing loss can impact understanding and can even lead to falls and hospitalizations.

As recreational marijuana becomes legal on January 1, employers are looking to be prepared. A panel of experts at OSF’s Jump Trading and Simulation Center told a group of business leaders Monday to begin adjusting their drug policies now, not later.

Health care leaders joined Illinois lawmakers to discuss the state of hospital transformation in the state. Ken Beutke, President, OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center, joined the discussion and highlighted the successful transformation of OSF HealthCare Center for Health-Streator.

This story features a Q and A with Jen Hopwood who started her career at OSF HealthCare 21 years ago as a bedside nurse in the intermediate medical-surgical unit at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Today, Hopwood is chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services and she discusses what makes a good leader and how to advance into leadership roles by seizing opportunities.

OSF HealthCare Chief Financial Officer Mike Allen joins other CFOs in discussing the importance of patient engagement , proviing a more consumer-driven, retail-like experience with price transparency in the transition to value-based care .

This story focuses on how OSF HealthCare is using data and community partnerships to come up with community-based solutions to barriers individuals face to good health such as poverty, transportation, and access to healthy food. It features interviews with Innovation leaders Sarah de Ramirez and Joe Garrison who explain some of the early solutions that have come from collaborating with community partners.

OSF HealthCare will serve as a clinical partner on a four-year, $2.75 million dollar grant designed to increase the number of nurse practitioners who practice in rural and underserved communities throughout Illinois, by promoting a natural transition from the student role to practicing Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) into these areas.