It was announced on Tuesday, January 15th that the Heart Transplant Program will soon return to OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Its been over a decade since the program was available at OSF St. Francis. The move will make St. Francis the only heart transplant option in central and downstate Illinois. The Illinois Health Facilities & Services Review Board on Tuesday approved OSF HealthCare’s certificate of need application to re-establish the program. The approval means St. Francis can offer both transplants and ventricular assist device procedures (VAD). St. Francis president Bob Anderson said OSF’s Cardiovascular Institute “provides one of the most comprehensive cardiovascular programs in the state, embracing advanced techniques and technologies.” One of the missing components for the medical center was heart transplant services. While the full implementation of the heart transplant program could take up to 18 months, the first VAD procedure will likely take place this summer. The heart transplant program at St. Francis was first introduced in 1987 and was suspended in 2006. During that time, the program completed 197 transplants.
