Meridian Health Plan of Illinois and Centene Foundation Award $1.5 Million to OSF HealthCare for New Mobile Maternity Care Unit
Mobile Unit to Deliver Much Needed Perinatal Care for Women, Enhancing Health Equity for Patients throughout Central Illinois
CHICAGO, July 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Inc. (Meridian) and the Centene Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC), today announced an award of $1.5 million to OSF HealthCare over three years for the expansion of its OSF OnCall Connect pregnancy and postpartum program. The grant will provide a new mobile maternity care unit to help deliver care to women who might otherwise have difficulty accessing pregnancy and postpartum support in the city of Peoria and other Central Illinois communities in Bureau, Henry, Knox, LaSalle, Marshall, Peoria, Putnam, and Woodford counties.
In Illinois, 34.3% of counties are considered maternity healthcare deserts, according to the March of Dimes, with those living in some counties needing to travel between 47 and 59 miles to a birthing hospital. The program expansion connects patients to an in-person care team based on the patient's location and ability to access in-person care. If in-person care remains a challenge, the mobile clinic will offer scheduled prenatal and postpartum care where and when it's convenient for patients who are within the program's geographic area. The mobile clinic will provide all recommended prenatal and postpartum services such as sonograms, lab work and vaccinations, along with blood pressure monitoring and reporting.
"These mobile units represent a meaningful step toward bringing pregnancy and postpartum care directly to communities that need it most." said Cristal Gary, Meridian Plan President and CEO. "By working with OSF HealthCare, we hope to help ensure that more mothers and babies have the opportunity to thrive."
The OSF OnCall Connect pregnancy and postpartum program is available to women who have Medicaid and are pregnant or are in the first month of the postpartum period, with the mobile clinic serving the identified counties in Central Illinois.
"Faced with numerous operational challenges, many rural hospitals in Illinois have shut down their labor and delivery units, leading to maternity care deserts," says Jennifer Junis, President of OSF OnCall. "Pregnant women on Medicaid in rural areas are statistically more likely to die of a pregnancy-related complication than their suburban counterparts. We focused on areas with the greatest need, and our goal is for the OSF OnCall Connect pregnancy and postpartum mobile clinic to extend care to women who need it most, supporting healthier pregnancies, full-term births and strong starts for both moms and babies."
The mobile unit will begin operating in July 2025, following a blessing event on July 15, 2025, at Dream Center Peoria. Eligible patients can self-enroll in the OSF OnCall Connect pregnancy and postpartum program or be referred by their provider or health plan. From there, the OSF OnCall Connect team will assist with program enrollment, connection to an in-person care team and scheduling appointments for the mobile clinic as appropriate.
Services include:
- Education and information for each week of pregnancy
- Regular check-ins by chat
- 24/7 virtual access to a care team specially trained to support pregnant women and their babies
- Blood pressure monitoring and reporting
- Lab work
- Screening for postpartum depression
- Support to close drivers of health gaps
- Breastfeeding support
For more information, visit osfoncall.org/pregnancy for OSF OnCall pregnancy and postpartum services or ILmeridian.com to learn more about Meridian's benefits and services.
About Meridian Health Plan of Illinois
Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Inc. and its family of health plans provide government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors, and individuals with complex medical needs. This includes Meridian's Medicaid and Medicare-Medicaid plans, and YouthCare HealthChoice Illinois. YouthCare is a specialized program designed to address the healthcare needs of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) youth in out-of-home placement and former foster youth. Meridian connects members to care and offers comprehensive services to support lifelong health and wellness. Meridian is a Centene company. Learn more at ILmeridian.com.
About the Centene Foundation
The Centene Foundation (the "Foundation"), a private nonprofit focused on investing in economically challenged communities, is the philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation ("Centene"). The Foundation supports projects and initiatives strategically aligned with Centene's mission-driven culture and enhances the work Centene is doing to remove the barriers to wellness underserved and low-income populations face. The Foundation is committed to addressing social determinants of health and improving health equity in three distinct areas of focus: healthcare access, social services and education. To learn more, visit the Centene Foundation's website.
About OSF HealthCare
OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis. Headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, OSF HealthCare has 17 hospitals – 11 acute care, five critical access, one continuing care – with 2,305 licensed beds throughout Illinois and Michigan. OSF employs more than 26,000 Mission Partners across 160+ locations and includes OSF OnCall, the digital health operating entity which offers a hospital-at-home. Advances in health care transformation take place through OSF Innovation and OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois, the third largest pediatric hospital in Illinois, cares for our smallest patients. In addition, OSF has two colleges of nursing; operates OSF Home Care Services, an extensive network of home health and hospice services; 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. OSF HealthCare has been recognized by Fortune as one of the most innovative companies in the country. More at osfhealthcare.org.
About OSF OnCall
As part of Peoria, Illinois-based OSF HealthCare, OSF OnCall offers unique, full-scale digital health and convenient care options. Providing an array of services anytime, anywhere, OSF OnCall includes digital platforms and software to connect people with care 24/7 using smartphone apps, text-based check-ins and video visits with live support. OSF OnCall Urgent Care offers in-person or virtual visits for minor injuries and illness. OSF OnCall Connect supports people through digital and at-home care. OSF OnCall also represents other at-home and hospital-based digital care including remote monitoring, intensive care and hospitalist programs, as well as a digital hospital option. Learn more at osfoncall.org.
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SOURCE Meridian of Illinois