Little Company of Mary Talks Merger With Downstate OSF HealthCare

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers in Evergreen Park is pondering another merger, this time with OSF HealthCare, another Catholic health care system based in Peoria, Illinois. The two organizations say they will spend the next several months finalizing agreements and seeking the necessary regulatory and canonical approvals, according to a news release. Both anticipate a full merger to take place.

“Partnership development, particularly with other mission-driven organizations, is a key component of how we are successfully responding to the call to share our ministry,” Bob Sehring, CEO, OSF HealthCare, said in a written statement. “We have long admired the strong Catholic heritage and commitment to the gift of life demonstrated by Little Company of Mary, and believe that together, we can create better health and deliver value for our communities.”

OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis. Headquartered in Peoria, OSF currently operates 13 hospitals outside the Chicago area, in downstate Illinois.

Little Company CEO Dr. John Hanlon told Crain’s Chicago that OSF is a “better cultural fit” with the Evergreen Park hospital, which is sponsored by the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary USA. Should the merger go through, it would mark LCMH's exit as an independent hospital.

“As health care continues to evolve, we have a responsibility to ensure that we are planning for the future, both in terms of technology and innovation as well as preserving Catholic health care,” Hanlon said in a written statement. “OSF HealthCare is a leader in transforming health care, and we believe our firm foundation of faith and collective sense of purpose and mission will allow for sustained quality, coordinated care and innovation.”

LCMH is a community-based, Catholic hospital with 298 beds in Evergreen Park, as well as a Cancer Center affiliated with the Medical Oncology Group of the University of Chicago Hospitals, and 10 satellite facilities. Little Company entertained joining the Rush University System in 2018, but called off the merger after months of talks. Representatives declined to give a reason why.

A merger with LCMH would give OSF HealthCare a clinical presence in Chicago. The hospital chain maintains relationships with the University of Illinois at Chicago, Matter and Avia, Crain’s reported.

The agreement would allow OSF HealthCare and LCMH to share services, develop and expand academic partnerships. The merger is expected to take place in early 2020.