PEORIA—This year, as the United States celebrates its 250 years, a USAToday.com America 250 documentary series spotlights OSF HealthCare — the only health care system in the country to be featured.
The America 250 series highlights organizations that reflect how innovation, purpose and resilience have shaped the nation.
Founded in 1877 by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Peoria, OSF HealthCare has grown from a single hospital into a nationally recognized, integrated health system serving the Midwestern United States and beyond.
As OSF HealthCare has encountered medical breakthroughs, societal shifts and evolving patient needs, the health care system remains guided by the sisters’ promise: to serve all people with the greatest care and love, honoring the dignity of every human life.
That balance between innovation and steadfast values is on display throughout the seven-minute USA Today documentary “OSF HealthCare: 150 Years of Transforming Healing.” It features scenes from across OSF’s ministry, highlighting how the healthcare system meets one of the country’s most pressing challenges: providing high‑quality care for both urban and rural communities.
For Sister Judith Ann Duvall, OSF, who formerly served as major superior of the sisters and chairperson of the OSF HealthCare boards, the recognition is personal.
“For 150 years, the story of OSF has been about responding to the needs of the time with faith and trust in God’s providence,” Sister Judith Ann said. “To see that story recognized as part of America’s history is profoundly humbling and deeply affirming.”
She views the documentary as a bridge between generations — the founding religious sisters who arrived in Illinois with little more than conviction, and today’s mission partners {employees} who carry that same spirit into laboratories, operating rooms, clinics and virtual care platforms.
“The sisters never set out to build an institution or a legacy. They set out to serve people who were sick, poor and often forgotten,” Sister Judith Ann said. “My hope is that people who watch this don’t just see what OSF HealthCare has done over 150 years, but what’s possible when faith, service and innovation are held together for the good of all.”
Watch the documentary at https://tinyurl.com/06-18-26-osf-healthcare
—Provided by Shelli Dankoff, Manager, OSF HealthCare Media Relations & Multimedia Services.
