OSF HealthCare: 150 years of transforming healin
OSF HealthCare blends faith, innovation and compassion to transform care and expand access across communities in the Midwest and beyond.
For more than a century and a half, OSF HealthCare has stood as a quiet but powerful force in American healthcare – rooted in faith, guided by service and driven by innovation. Founded in 1877 by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Peoria, Illinois, the Ministry has grown from a single hospital into a nationally recognized, integrated health system serving communities across the Midwest and beyond.
At its core, OSF HealthCare remains grounded in the Mission established by its founding Sisters: to serve all people with the greatest care and love, honoring the dignity of every life. That purpose has endured through generations of medical advancement, social change and evolving patient needs, making OSF HealthCare both a steward of tradition and an architect of what comes next.
OSF HealthCare: Built to serve communities – wherever they are
Today, OSF HealthCare employs nearly 27,000 Mission Partners across more than 170 locations, including 18 inpatient facilities and an expansive network of clinics, urgent care centers and home health and hospice services. From urban academic medical centers to rural communities where access to healthcare is often limited, the Ministry is committed to meeting patients where they are.
This commitment is especially evident in OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois, one of the largest pediatric hospitals in the state, and in OSF OnCall, the Ministry’s digital health entity that’s transforming healthcare by bringing hospital-level care into patients’ homes through virtual nursing, remote monitoring and a hospital-at-home model.
OSF HealthCare: Innovation guided by purpose
Innovation at OSF HealthCare is not an end in itself – it is a means of extending compassionate care further and more equitably. Through OSF Innovation, OSF has become a national leader in transforming how care is delivered, taught and improved.
A centerpiece of that effort is Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center, one of the largest and most advanced health care simulation centers in the world. In collaboration with the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, Jump Simulation enables clinicians to train, test and refine new approaches to care that dramatically improve outcomes while reducing risk and cost.
From pioneering AI-powered diagnostics to advancing early cancer detection, OSF HealthCare is helping define responsible, human-centered innovation at a time when health systems nationwide face mounting clinical and workforce challenges.
OSF HealthCare: Honoring the past, building the future
As the governing Sisters mark 150 years, OSF HealthCare stands as a testament to what enduring values can accomplish when paired with bold vision. Whether developing world-class destination care in Central Illinois or ensuring rural patients have access to healthcare and can receive advanced treatment close to home, OSF continues to evolve without ever losing sight of why it began.
In an era of rapid change, OSF HealthCare offers a compelling model for the future of American healthcare: one where innovation is guided by faith, excellence is measured by compassion and progress is defined not only by technology but by service to humanity.
For more information on OSF HealthCare, visit https://www.osfhealthcare.org/
