OSF HealthCare will proceed with its plan to consolidate intensive care unit (ICU) and inpatient obstetrics (OB) services from its Ottawa hospital to the facility in Peru, the hospital announced Friday.

The decision follows months of community input and negotiations.

OSF said in the news release it offered to keep ICU services in Ottawa as a concession, but the offer was rejected by the City of Ottawa and Citizens for Healthcare in Ottawa (CHO), who requested additional changes OSF said were not clinically or operationally feasible.

“OSF HealthCare has always approached this work with compassion and transparency,” Bob Sehring, CEO of OSF HealthCare, said in a news release. “Our proposal to continue ICU services in Ottawa went well beyond what is clinically necessary, but we made that offer because we care deeply about this community and wanted to find a reasonable concession with the city and CHO group. It is unfortunate that offer was not accepted.”

Ottawa Mayor Robert Hasty said OSF did present a proposal to the council on Oct. 1. However, that proposal was to forego OB to Peru, and then they would keep the ICU.

“When we pressed them about what keeping the ICU or ICU’s meant, they were not going to keep the capacity to keep a full 24/7, 24-hour ICU unit,” he said.

Hasty said the plan presented on Oct. 1 was essentially the same as the one they had offered a year ago.

“They dressed it up to make it sound like negotiating,” he said. “In turn for that, we were supposed to be silent...not only silent but supportive of their move.”

The decision is pending approval from the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board. In August, the board deferred consideration of OSF HealthCare’s consolidation proposal until Nov. 18.

According to the release, the consolidation is part of OSF’s regional care model aimed at improving quality, safety and access for patients in La Salle, Bureau, Putnam and parts of Stark counties. The plan addresses challenges such as physician shortages, especially in smaller communities, growing OB deserts, fewer specialty providers, and population declines.

OSF said under the new model, OB care will be coordinated regionally with providers maintaining offices throughout the area. A mobile OB unit will travel to patients, and a 24-hour phone line will be available for expecting and new mothers.

The Peru hospital will also launch a virtual labor and delivery monitoring service, enhancing inpatient care. OSF said this approach is the first of its kind in Illinois.

Sehring said OSF’s decisions are guided by its mission to provide sustainable, high-quality care across the region.

“We remain committed to the communities we serve and to doing what’s right for our patients and Mission Partners,” Sehring said. “OSF will continue to invest in the people, facilities, and technology that deliver exceptional care, today and for generations to come.”

Hasty said concerned residents can contact the Citizens For HealthCare in Ottawa advocacy group on Monday, Oct. 27.

“They’re going to have an opportunity for people to write or sign letters that can get to the health board saying they’re not in favor of this move,” he said.

To contact CHO, visit https://saveottawahealthcare.com/.

The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board will hear OSF’s proposal on Nov. 18 in Peoria.