OSF HealthCare & University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Partner for Safe Return to Campus

PEORIA, Ill. and URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Aug. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OSF HealthCare has expanded its partnership with the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign by providing faculty, staff and students access to personalized support for COVID-19 symptom checking, monitoring and care where they live and when they need it. This effort is part of the UIUC's Return the Campus plan.

 What the expanded partnership provides

U of I faculty, staff and students have access to OSF OnCall Connect support directly through a 24/7 Nurse Hotline or through the Safer Illinois smart phone app.

Within the app, the campus community will be given options for a variety of digital tools and personalized, convenient support available through OSF HealthCare. They include:

• Clare is OSF HealthCare's easy-to-use digital assistant that will check symptoms and guide individuals on what to do next.
• OSF Nurse Hotline is available by calling (833) OSF-KNOW/ (833-673-5669) where a nurse is available 24/7. The nurse can answer concerns and screen symptoms plus assist with the next steps in connecting callers with OSF OnCall Connect.
• OSF OnCall Connect will be offered within 24 hours if symptoms or an individual's situation indicates the need more assistance. The program will provide a range of at-home support, (whether in quarantine off-campus, in the community or at a specially designated residence hall). It includes regular phone or video check-ins up to twice a day for 16 days, advanced monitoring and hospitalization if necessary. Enrollment will be offered at no cost to anyone who meets the criteria and who wants the security of ongoing monitoring and care. Enrollees must be 18 years or older.
• Enrollees in OSF OnCall Connect will get a COVID-19 care kit with a thermometer, hand sanitizer, educational materials and communication apps for download to stay connected with the OSF OnCall Connect support team and to access behavioral health support online through OSF Silver Cloud. A tablet pre-loaded with the applications and a data package are also available if needed.

OSF is constantly updating its response to COVID-19 support and care based on the latest data and guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Personalized health care and safety is what we do best at OSF HealthCare so we are happy to partner with the U of I Urbana-Champaign campus and to provide the support needed to bring students back to campus safely. We look forward to making sure everyone feels supported as we enter into new territory and this unique experience together," said Abby Lotz, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Digital Care-St. Gabriel Digital HealthCare.

She adds, "Almost since the start of the pandemic, we have been providing care for people remotely while they quarantine at home. We have learned some lessons; become more efficient and really learned how to connect with people in the way they want to be cared for, so I'm confident we'll be able to support the campus during the fall semester and beyond."

"The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is privileged to be home to some of the world's leading minds on COVID-19 safety, testing and procedures," said Mike DeLorenzo, Senior Associate Chancellor for Administration and Operations. "We have put in place several measures — twice weekly testing, training, rigorous cleaning and sanitation processes, rearranged classrooms to implement social distancing guidelines and more—to maximize the safety of our faculty, staff, students and entire community. Our partnership with OSF is another important piece of our COVID-19 planning."

About OSF HealthCare: OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois. OSF HealthCare employs more than 23,600 Mission Partners in 147 locations, including 14 hospitals – ten acute care, four critical access – with 2,097 licensed beds, and 2 colleges of nursing throughout Illinois and Michigan. The OSF HealthCare physician network employs more than 1,500 primary care, specialist and advanced practice providers. OSF HealthCare, through OSF Home Care Services, operates an extensive network of home health and hospice services. It also owns Pointcore, Inc., comprised of health care-related businesses; OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization; and OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups. More at osfhealthcare.org.                                                                                     

About the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC): As one of the nation's premier land-grant university, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is dedicated to its tradition of excellence and innovation in education, research and public engagement. It is both an economic engine for the state and the place where more than 2,500 tenure track faculty members lead more than 50,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students in the process of discovery and scholarship. More at Illinois.edu.

Additional Assets available on the OSF Newsroom include:

• Photo of OSF OnCall Connect Care Kit
• COVID Nurse Hotline image
• OSF OnCall Connect Image
• Additional video and audio clips from OSF HealthCare Digital Health Leader Abby Lotz
• B-roll of care kit and community delivery

Contact: Colleen Reynolds| Media Relations Coordinator | (309) 825-7255
U of I Contact: Robin Kaler| Associate Chancellor for Public Affairs | (217) 333-5010

SOURCE OSF Healthcare System

Related Links

http://www.osfhealthcare.org