Osf St. Elizabeth Hospital issued the following announcement on July 5.
Upon opening OSF HealthCare Center for Health – Streator in 2016, OSF HealthCare embraced the opportunity to improve the way care is delivered and pave a healthier path for rural communities.
By partnering with the city of Streator and local social service agencies, OSF HealthCare has been working to create a new, sustainable framework for rural health care. This approach leverages technology to create community engagement and access to care where and when the patient needs it.
Recognizing that OSF HealthCare could not create a culture for better health in Streator on its own, the organization looked for ways to partner with other agencies to ensure access to services closer to home. With their plans to renovate the existing Center for Health site came the idea to implement a “healthy village” concept and offer space for other agencies to co-locate under one roof.
“Providing safe and quality health care isn’t just limited to what we, as health care professionals, can offer,” said Don Damron, Vice-President of Ambulatory Services for OSF HealthCare Center for Health - Streator. “Many of the factors for achieving health and wellness rely upon having access to a number of support agencies and services.”
Within the past 12-18 months, the LaSalle County Health Department’s Family Case Management and WIC (Women, Infants and Children) programs, as well as North Central Behavioral Health and the American Cancer Society Patient Resource Center, teamed up with OSF HealthCare to grant additional resources to the Streator community. Each organization currently staffs an office within the Center for Health campus.
“We are very excited to locate our offices at the OSF Center for Health – Streator and to partner with OSF HealthCare in this innovative model of improving the health status of Streator area residents,” stated Don Miskowiec, President of North Central Behavioral Health. “Behavioral health services are a critical part of the health care system, and through the new OSF approach in co-locating a variety of health care and social service organizations in one location, we know that our communities will benefit immensely.”
Renovations are currently underway to transform the Center for Health site into a hub that – in addition to caring for the physical and mental health of individuals – strives to positively shape the environment, the lifestyle choices and the social and economic status of the entire community.
OSF HealthCare Center for Health – Streator offers a variety of medical services:
anticoagulation clinic
behavioral health
cardiac services & rehab
diagnostic imaging
emergency services
general surgery clinic
laboratory services
lung & pulmonology
occupational health
orthopedics
outpatient services & infusion
podiatry
primary care
rehab therapy services (physical, occupational, speech)
respiratory therapy
sports medicine
women’s health
By the summer of 2019, the newly updated facility will feature additional areas for social service agencies and community-based organizations to co-locate under one roof. Recognizing that transportation is a challenge for many residents, the facility will serve as a convenient space for health and wellness close to home, without the need for travel. As partnerships continue to develop within the healthy village, the Streator community should see increased access to a variety of services.
“The healthy village will impact generations to come,” stated Ken Beutke, president of OSF HealthCare Center for Health - Streator. “It is our hope that the youth will begin to see the interconnectivity between the medical and social aspects of care and will become more personally responsible for their health and wellness.”
Through increased attention to personal health and wellness, OSF HealthCare hopes to empower Streator residents to live a healthier lifestyle with reduced need for traditional medical services.
Original source can be found here.
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