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Rezin Is 'Livid' Over Streator ER Ambulance Restrictions

Illinois State Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, says she’s “livid” that advanced ambulances aren’t allowed to go to the emergency room operated by OSF Healthcare in Streator.

OSF requested a waiver to allow all ambulances to visit Streator’s ER in 2015, but company officials thought admitting life-support ambulances violates state law because the ER isn’t connected to a hospital.

Rezin sponsored a law allowing Streator to have an ER without inpatient services, but the Department of Public Health has yet to act on the request to allow advanced ambulances in such a facility.

Rezin blames the “breakdown in the process” on OSF Healthcare and the State Department of Public Health. "This situation needs immediate attention," she told the Ottawa Times. "First of all, we need action on the waiver from 2015. Number two, we need much better communication from OSF, because there has been none. The state needs to act in a prompt manner on issues such as this."

OSF established the OSF Center for Health-Streator in January 2016 after acquiring the assets of St. Mary's Hospital from the Hospital Sisters Health System, which closed the hospital due to declining patient population. The emergency room was opened in summer 2016.

The Center for Health includes round-the-clock urgent care, rehabilitation services, same-day procedures, diagnostic imaging, laboratory and doctors' offices.