Two local medical foundation boards are expressing concern over the accountability of donor funds with the Presence Health Corporate Office in Chicago. It was earlier announced that Presence United Samaritans Medical Center in Danville and Presence Covenant Medical Center in Urbana will become part of OSF Healthcare effective February 1st, 2018. Both facilities will continue their mission under the OSF Healthcare system.
The Presence United Samaritans and Presence Covenant Medical Center Boards say each board takes the issue of using funds raised for local purposes and in accordance with donor wishes very seriously. But the boards say they have repeatedly requested information from various officials with Presence Health’s corporate offices in Chicago regarding the exact dollar amount of foundation funds that will be transferred from the Presence system to the OSF system.
Only limited information has been provided to date from Presence that they consider to be restricted funds of the foundation, according to joint news release from the Presence Covenant and Presence United Samaritans Foundation Boards. ‘’Our concern is understanding how Presence used the funds not listed on their accounting of the restricted funds,’’ said Philip Muehl, chair of the Presence United Samaritans Medical Center Foundation Board. Muehl added that the message they heard when they first became part of Presence was that local funds raised would remain local.
The Presence office in Chicago could not be immediately reached for comment.
