“So we can get better a lot faster than we ever were able to do in the past. “We don't have all the answers, and sometimes when you come together with another system, there's an incredible number of bright, engaged people in health care and sometimes if you're part of a larger system, you find these ‘a-ha’ moments,” said Knight. Napoleon Knight, Carle’s chief medical officer, said adding the Peoria network of health professionals to their system presents an opportunity for shared knowledge and better solutions. “I think with the ability to expand the medical staff, the specialization, to focus on the community aspects of care - which includes behavioral health as well as some of the social determinants of care that are really necessary to drive wellness in a community - all of that begins to rise.”ĭr. So it becomes: what does this together allow us to do that maybe we couldn't have done three years from now if we hadn't done this? That's really where my focus is at “The quality is high - measurable quality outcomes, we're well aware of that. “There was nothing broken, otherwise we likely wouldn't be sitting here today,” said Leonard. He said UnityPoint’s strong level of service to the Peoria area made it worthwhile. Leonard said the process of Carle acquiring UnityPoint began more than two years ago, with the geographical proximity to its other areas playing a key role. The Carle Health system now consists of eight hospitals - following the 2020 acquisitions of Normal’s BroMenn Medical Center and Eureka Hospital - with about 1,300 doctors and close to 17,000 total employees. If we can look back in a few years and point to some of those things, then we'll know we've not only sustained what we had going but we've done something even better together.” Or even facility investments and capital and growth of depth and breadth of services. “On the other hand as we look a little bit further out, we hope that you see investments in this community, whether that's investments and health of the population and community health issues, and behavioral health.

“So it's kind of a win, if people say, ‘Hey the sign’s changed, but the great care continues. Keith Knepp, who transitions to president of Carle Health Greater Peoria after serving in a similar capacity with UnityPoint. We're proud of the care that we delivered today, we're looking forward to continuing to deliver great care in the future,” said Dr. “On the one hand, our hope is that you don't notice a lot of change. The integration moves Methodist, Proctor and Pekin hospitals under the Carle umbrella, along with 76 clinics and other home health and behavioral health services, and Methodist College. “The ability to expand the health care specialization and reach out in new and improved ways to the community, and in exciting ways as new technologies come forward.” James Leonard, president and CEO of Carle Health.

“As we move ahead with like-minded partners, I couldn't be more excited about what's in front of us,” said Dr. Three Greater Peoria hospitals and their affiliated services are now officially part of the Carle Health network.Ī dedication ceremony Monday morning in the Methodist Atrium marked the integration of the former UnityPoint Health – Central Illinois operations into the Urbana-based Carle system, following the formal closing on April 1.

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