{"id":7841,"date":"2025-06-23T17:43:24","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T17:43:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=7841"},"modified":"2025-06-23T17:43:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T17:43:24","slug":"osf-healthcare-defers-decision-on-future-ottawa-hospital-plans-for-1-year-shaw-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=7841","title":{"rendered":"OSF HealthCare defers decision on future Ottawa hospital plans for 1 year – Shaw Local"},"content":{"rendered":"


OSF HealthCare was granted a 12-month deferral for two projects affecting Ottawa\u2019s healthcare system at a meeting with Illinois’ Health Facilities and Services Review Board on Tuesday in Bolingbrook. <\/span>(Scott Anderson)
OSF HealthCare was granted a 12-month deferral for two projects affecting Ottawa\u2019s<\/a> health care system at a meeting with Illinois’ Health Facilities and Services Review Board on Tuesday in Bolingbrook.
The two projects under review were:
OSF\u2019s request for the deferral comes after a previously granted six-month delay that ended this month.
OSF said the additional time will be used to continue discussions with local officials, implement components of the regional model of health care and assess plans going forward.
A year ago, OSF HealthCare proposed building a new $120 million hospital across Route 6 from the existing OSF St. Elizabeth facility. A proposed reduction in the number of surgical beds and elimination of intensive care unit services from the hospital\u2019s initial plan drew criticism from residents and some local governments over the past year.
Despite the request, eight members of Citizens for Healthcare in Ottawa attended the meeting to give presentations voicing their opposition to the deferral.
CHO has advocated for more community involvement in the planning process, urging OSF to prioritize local input.
CHO representative Colleen Burns explained her issue with OSF\u2019s process during the meeting.
\u201cIt\u2019s sort of a head scratcher to why these plans were formulated to begin with \u2013 and without input from the local advisory committee put in place when OSF acquired the hospital in 2012,\u201d Burns said. \u201cWhat this feels like is a big corporate move that\u2019s putting profits over patients.\u201d
Although the decision did not go CHO\u2019s way, board members encouraged OSF to engage more actively with the Ottawa community, including monthly meetings to work toward a resolution.
Ottawa city and OSF officials have talked about the future of the hospital in private meetings. OSF was open to adding eight more medical\/surgical beds \u2013 four of those being intermediate care beds \u2013 and a second procedure room to its initial plans, but Ottawa officials believe the modification still comes up short of meeting the local demand.
Additionally, the state panel asked OSF to provide regular updates on the progress of the projects throughout the 12-month deferral period.
CHO member Margaret \u201cPeg\u201d Reagan said that board members praised the passion demonstrated by CHO members, with several saying they were impressed by the informed presentations made by the group.
\u201cWe weren\u2019t happy with the board\u2019s decision, but we were glad to hear that they\u2019re demanding more from OSF going forward,\u201d Reagan said. \u201cOur job certainly isn\u2019t done yet, and we will continue to advocate for a health care system that serves everyone in Ottawa.\u201d
OSF issued a statement to Shaw Media after the meeting: \u201cOSF HealthCare has requested and received a 12-month deferral of the certificate of need review for the replacement hospital project in Ottawa. OSF remains committed to working with local officials to refine the regional health care delivery plan and will continue to engage with stakeholders to ensure the community\u2019s needs are met. We will continue to meet with city of Ottawa representatives and our OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center Community Advisory Committee and will provide updates as the situation progresses.\u201d
Copyright \u00a9 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright \u00a9 2023 Shaw Local News Network<\/p>\n

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OSF HealthCare was granted a 12-month deferral for two projects affecting Ottawa\u2019s healthcare system at a meeting with Illinois’ Health Facilities and Services Review Board on Tuesday in Bolingbrook. (Scott Anderson)OSF HealthCare was granted a 12-month deferral for two projects affecting Ottawa\u2019s health care system at a meeting with Illinois’ Health Facilities and Services Review Board on Tuesday in Bolingbrook.The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t