History

Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation is a community-based, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Network comprised of over 20 health centers, community outreach programs, and enabling services. The Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation System has provided exceptional healthcare services to communities in our regional area for over the past 21 years. Starting from humble beginnings, the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation System has grown into one of the Metro-East area’s largest healthcare organizations. According to the Southwestern Illinois Leadership Council, the foundation is ranked 9th on the council’s list of top area employers in St. Clair and Madison Counties.

On January 17, 1985, Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation (SIHF) treated its first patient in Centreville, Ill. SIHF is a non-for-profit healthcare organization that has built a strong reputation of serving the under-insured and medically underserved residents of our regional area. In 1984, a group of community leaders recognized the need to attract physicians to the area, which had been devastated by closed factories, two decades of chronic unemployment, decreasing property values and accompanying societal challenges, as several of these communities were considered to be the poorest cities in the nation. SIHF opened its first site in Centreville on January 17, 1985, with one physician, a nurse, and a director.

SIHF staff has grown from only three staff members in 1985 to a staff of 1,400 in 2007, with over 250 participating medical physicians. Over the past 20 years, the SIHF system rapidly expanded by adding healthcare facilities and related services. The Foundation strives to make life better for our patients living in the communities we serve by assuring easy access to quality healthcare; providing health education; promoting healthy lifestyles; and improving health outcomes. The SIHF system is comprised of over 20 health centers in a four county regional area in Southern Illinois.

Over the past 21 years, the Foundation, with it’s award winning healthcare system, has truly made a difference in the lives of it’s patients and enhanced the communities we serves. Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation has built a strong regional “safety net” healthcare system that is committed to providing access to quality healthcare regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. During the development of our “safety net” healthcare system, we also provide patient access through two controlled affiliate regional hospitals, i.e., Kenneth Hall and Touchette Regional Hospitals.

SIHF system has also facilitated partnerships to develop Touchette Elderly Apartments located in Centreville, Illinois. SIHF has recently received funding and is building a similar elderly apartment complex in East St. Louis, Illinois. The elderly apartments provide better housing for area residents with exceptional access to healthcare services. In addition to providing healthcare services, SIHF has partnered with local area education and business leaders to form Archview Economic Development Corporation. Archview is a non-profit organization designed to foster economic development activities in the regional area, including an annual career fair for area high school students. The career fair is geared to teaching junior and senior high school students about job opportunities available to them in the local business community. SIHF system has a long tradition of investing in the communities it serves.

The graph represents outpatient visit increases from 1988 to 2005, and is an indicator of economic growth and expansion of healthcare service providers in the southern Illinois area.

In 2006, SIHF healthcare facilities provided treatment to over 230,000 outpatient visitors. SIHF system continues to grow at a rapid rate. Robert Klutts, CEO of the SIHF System, stated, “SIHF has a long-standing tradition of “Making a Difference” by providing exceptional healthcare services to the communities we serve, and this tradition has been a key focus and success factor throughout the years.” SIHF system is nationally considered as setting the “Gold Standard” in operating health centers, hospitals, elderly housing and economic development activities. SIHF system has been a highly recognized authority in developing an integrated regional health care safety net system for all payer groups. The foundation’s image is prominent nationally and continues to grow on a local level. Dynamically create your own navigation menu system with two simple steps. You can clone existing intranet applications for exclusive use within your department page. Link to important internet web sites, or other areas of the intranet on your navigation menu system.