COVER PHOTO: Southern Illinois Health Care Foundation President and CEO Larry McCulley speaks at last December’s STEPUP Meeting.
Southern Illinois Health Care Foundation President and CEO Larry McCulley spoke to the Danville City Council this past Tuesday evening. It was at a STEPUP meeting last December that McCulley made it official: two FQHCs, Federally Qualified Health Centers, were coming to Danville to provide much needed access to health care for all. The first one, to be located at Danville High School, is set to start operations by June, and McCulley says they are in the process of hiring staff.
The Southern Illinois Heath Care Foundation plans for an FQHC (Federally Qualified Health Center) on the old St. Elizabeth Hospital Site. SIHF President and CEO Larry McCulley told the Danville City Council Tuesday evening that he’d like to work with the city on some housing initiatives around the site.
But the plan for a community FQHC at the old St. Elizabeth Hospital site, also announced last December, also came up Tuesday night. McCulley says they hope to start construction in the Spring of 2023. He has a lot in mind for the entire area; such as affordable, purposeful housing around the old St. E’s site. McCulley says he wants to work with the city on this, and Danville Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr, loves the idea.
AUDIO: Absolutely. You know, I think sometimes people fail when they’re trying to overcome their addictions because they don’t have that continuous support. So I think providing some kind of longer term, transitional housing to help support people would be incredible for our community. I believe it’s much needed.
McCulley says, the entire idea of health care for a better community has many facets. He calls it a “backbone of change.”
AUDIO: And more of a revolution of what we need to do in health care. If we are truly going to bring value to health care, we have to bring value to our communities and actually change and improve the health and well being of our individuals that we care for.
McCulley says the facility at the old St. Elizabeth site would include an urgent care center, which often are not found in neighborhoods where you may have families or single parents working multiple jobs and difficult hours. McCulley says he wants everyone to have better access to health care at all times, and he’s hoping to partner in some way with both OSF and Carle when all is up and running.
