Shovels hit the dirt in Marion on Friday as Deaconess Illinois Medical Center officially broke ground on a dedicated EMS transport building that hospital leaders say is designed to be a regional lifeline for Southern Illinois. The new hub will move Deaconess’s interfacility transfer operations from Harrisburg to the Marion campus and will house both ambulances and crew living quarters, a setup executives say should trim multi-hour waits for patients who need higher-level care. Officials at the ceremony cast the project as a focused investment in rural access to specialty treatment.
What the hub will include
According to EMS1, the new building will be able to host four ambulances and will include living space so EMS staff can stay on site during shifts. Will Davis, president of Deaconess Illinois, said, "Our commitment to EMS is rooted in one core belief, that when people need care the most, access and timing matter," and operations manager Todd Test added that the facility will let crews be better equipped and better positioned to support patients throughout the area.
Relief for small hospitals and county ambulances
Hospital leaders say carving out a dedicated interfacility transfer service should free up county ambulances to focus on 911 calls and cut down the long transfer waits that smaller emergency departments often face. Harry Brockus, chief administrative officer for Deaconess Illinois Union County, told KBSI that patients in some communities have waited a full day or more for a transfer and said the new service is aimed at making those transfers more equitable.
Timeline and relocation details
Local outlets report that construction will begin immediately, and the hospital expects the building to be finished in April, according to KFVS. An industry report lists May as the expected completion date and notes that the EMS operation will relocate from Harrisburg to Marion to provide regional transports to centers including St. Louis, Evansville, Indianapolis and Nashville, per EMS1.
Part of a wider push to speed transfers
The Deaconess project fits into a broader push by hospital systems to invest in transport infrastructure and shave hours off transfer times. For example, Carle Health recently upgraded a helipad near Hoopeston to speed patients on to further care. WSIU notes that the Deaconess system now operates hospitals in Marion, Anna and Mount Vernon, and leaders say the EMS building will serve area hospitals and partners regardless of ownership in an effort to tighten up regional coordination.
What comes next
State lawmakers, Marion officials and hospital advisory members joined Deaconess leaders at the groundbreaking ceremony, organizers said, according to KBSI. Work on site is set to begin soon as Deaconess recruits EMS staff, and officials say the goal is to launch operations this spring to shorten transfer times across Southern Illinois.
