PEORIA – OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois will leave the affiliate network of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on June 30, moving toward a more independent model for pediatric health care.
OSF announced Monday that it would be leaving the St. Jude network and operating independently as the OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute, providing specialized treatment from OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center.
Meg Zakrzewski, president of the OSF Children’s Hospital, said during a press conference Tuesday that the move away from St. Jude was a reflection of their evolution and growth over time, promising that the same level of care would be provided regardless of whether they were in the network or not.
“This change has been thoughtfully discussed for a long period of time as we continue to evolve and grow as an organization,” Zakrzewski said. “We are at this next phase of evolution as a children’s hospital, continuing on this journey for destination care, and we’re going to be able to offer these excellent services with the same physicians that we’ve had for the past 40 years while continuing to expand our portfolio for care and really specialize in excellent care, high reliability and where we’re going as a destination.”
The St. Jude affiliate opened at St. Francis in 2000, having previously been at Methodist Medical Center since 1972.
Brinda Mehta, an associate professor and division head of pediatric hematology and oncology with the University of Illinois College of Medicine which operates out of the children’s hospital, said existing patients would continue to receive the same level of financial support they would have through the St. Jude affiliate until 2029.
She reiterated that the same level of care would be kept under the new independent operation at St. Francis.
“I don’t think there will be a palpable change because the same staff members are going to be there,” Mehta said. “They’re going to get the same level of diagnosis, staging or treatment needed. There will not be a palpable change because clinically, pediatric oncology care is standardized across the country and we’ve all gone through training at other centers and came here.”
Mehta said that with their department becoming fully independent, they have the opportunity to continue growing and providing more care locally. She also clarified that St. Jude could continue to work with them on things like clinical trials if need be.
“It gives us opportunities to think about new things, be excited about providing more things locally and reaching out to any other center where care could be provided or there’s a clinical trial collaboration,” Mehta said.
Those who have supported St. Jude through fundraising efforts across the area said Tuesday that they would continue to provide their help through events like the St. Jude Runs, which have provided nearly $100 million for St. Jude over 45 years in existence.
“This community has always led with heart,” said Mike McCoy, former Peoria County sheriff and co-founder of the St. Jude Runs. “Our passion for helping the children and families of St. Jude runs deep, and that will not change. This is not the end of anything—it’s a continuation of something incredibly meaningful. We will not stop. These children and families need us, and Central Illinois will continue to answer that call.”
For those concerned about the changes, Zakrzewski said the team that supported their children through the years will remain the same, even though they no longer are within St. Jude’s affiliate network.
“The care team is the same,” Zakrzewski said. “These are the same physicians that have been here for 40 years of the program. We continue to add physicians and specialists and have depth and continue to propel into the future as a children’s hospital.”
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: OSF Children’s Hospital to leave St. Jude network. President explains why
Reporting by Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
