EAST ST. LOUIS – SIHF Healthcare and Touchette Regional Hospital held the groundbreaking on Tuesday for what will be the only Urgent Care in the East St. Louis metro region.
“We are extremely pleased to be launching this much-needed service for the residents of the greater East St. Louis metro area,” stated Larry McCulley, CEO of both SIHF Healthcare and Touchette Regional Hospital.
The Urgent Care will be a 5,000-square-foot addition to an existing SIHF Healthcare health center at 2001 State Street, East St. Louis. The addition will include four exam rooms and one procedure room plus lab and radiology services. This will be a $2.8 million investment, partially funded by the State of Illinois.
“As the recipient of a State of Illinois Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives grant, this is the first visible sign to the community of our efforts and is serving as the public launch of our Transformation project, which will be named LifeBridge,” McCulley noted. The LifeBridge campaign is about our actions to connect health and social conditions together for a path to health. The LifeBridge campaign is the umbrella name specific to our Transformation project that will co-exist with SIHF Healthcare, Touchette Regional Hospital, and our partners.
In addition to the construction of the Urgent Care, the Transformation project also includes:
+ Community Health Workers
+ Community Health Hub
+ Affordable and Supportive Housing
+ Improved Access to Specialty Care
+ New Electronic Health Record System at Touchette
“Efforts in each of these areas are well underway with intentions to make additional announcements in 2023,” McCulley stated. “But the benefits to the public are beginning and will continue to grow. As we continue with our Transformation projects, updates will be made public via our website – lifebridgebetterhealth.com.”
About SIHF Healthcare
SIHF Healthcare operates a network of over 30 health centers across 12 Illinois counties with 160 medical providers who deliver comprehensive healthcare services including: adult, family, women’s health, pediatrics, dental services for children, behavioral health, and population health services. As one of the largest Federally Qualified Health Center networks in the country, SIHF Healthcare is devoted to leading individuals and communities to their healthiest lifestyle regardless of their ability to pay. For more information or to find the nearest provider, visit www.sihf.org.
About Touchette Regional Hospital
Touchette Regional Hospital has proudly served the communities of the metro-east for more than 60 years. We offer 24-hour Emergency Department, Laboratory, Radiology, Medical Specialty Services, Transportation, Sleep Center, Physical Therapy, Senior Care Services, Start Now Breast Cancer Awareness Program, Special Needs Dentistry for children, and Behavioral Health (inpatient and outpatient). For more information, visit touchette.org.
About LifeBridge
LifeBridge is a comprehensive investment to improve the health and well-being of residents in the Greater East St. Louis Metro Area. We believe our community deserves improved health outcomes, and that those improvements start with better access to information, safe housing, coordinated healthcare, and support for healthy lifestyles.
About Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives
The historic, equity-driven Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives are designed to create partnerships and bring entities together to find innovative ways to bridge gaps in the healthcare delivery system and increase access to quality healthcare services in underserved communities across Illinois. The Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives program makes available as much as $150 million per fiscal year collaborations between care providers, including preventive care, primary care, specialty care, hospital services, mental health and substance abuse services, and community-based entities that address the social determinants of health. Priority is given to collaborations that include safety-net hospitals or critical access hospitals.
