Peru has a hospital again
While staff pray along, Father Michael Driscoll blesses the OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center in Peru on Friday, April 5. The hospital opened its doors to the public on April 7. Provided photo
PERU — OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center in Peru opened its doors to the public on Sunday, April 7. Earlier, on Friday, April 5, the center was blessed by Father Michael Driscoll, Chaplain and Director of Pastoral Care of OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center, Ottawa, of which the Peru hospital is the second campus.
It has been more than a year since the closure of the former St. Margaret’s Hospital in Peru.
They (the community) are very grateful and supportive of the work, for OSF coming in” — Dawn Trompeter, president of OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center
“It’s definitely been an adventure,” acknowledged Dawn Trompeter, president of OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center, while adding the community support has been overwhelming: “They are very grateful and supportive of the work, for OSF coming in and opening these services back up.”
The medical center is opening in phases. The first phase, which opened Sunday, includes a full emergency department and two inpatient medical beds, as well as support services including diagnostic imaging, lab, dietician, pharmacy, EKG and respiratory.
A second phase will open later this year and add another 12 inpatient beds as well as outpatient services.
Trompeter said medical advances have led to a shift in health care with more emphasis on outpatient services. “The key is to get the emergency department, our physician offices and clinics up and running . . . and then have those robust outpatient services as well as hospital inpatient services available here in the Illinois Valley.”
“As other rural hospitals and services are closing across the nation, we feel strongly about being here to continue to serve these communities,” she reiterated.
