OSF HealthCare joins Chicago ARC and a venture collaborative of leading organizations to tackle healthcare inequities for region's underserved populations

New collaborative aims to create Midwestern hub for medical innovation and training

CHICAGO and PEORIA, Ill., Dec. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- New Chicago ARC partners OSF HealthCare, Americare Senior Living, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Insight Hospital and Medical Center, and Illinois Tech join a collaborative of leading organizations to create an ambitious partnership to tackle healthcare inequities through market-driven, community-informed solutions and attraction of startups that will support the region's underserved populations.

The Chicago ARC venture collaborative announced today its partners voted to advance equity in the management of chronic diseases and access to quality behavioral health services, including those for substance use disorder, through collaborative approaches and solutions as the outcome of its inaugural convening. The meeting included founding health care partners representing nearly 750 health care delivery and training locations across Illinois and neighboring states.

Partners aligned on a vision to create a community of health innovation in Chicago and across Illinois and the Midwest, accelerating community-relevant innovation, technology, and partnerships, as well as positioning the region as a global destination for innovators and startups looking to transform healthcare and impact society. Chicago ARC partners will create collaboration and impact in the initial healthcare focus areas by sharing best practices through workshops and exchanges, collaboratively developing and evaluating new approaches, and serving as a network to pilot and scale innovative solutions.

By doing so, the partners will create replicable models to improve access, quality, cost of care, and address health inequities and social determinants of health.

"OSF HealthCare, with a 168,000 square foot simulation and education center, eight innovation labs, and a full-scale digital health division, continues to break ground on using technology, innovation, and collaboration to provide outstanding care across Illinois and Michigan. Partnering with the Chicago ARC enables OSF to access clinically proven global startups, use technologies to serve our rural and urban communities, and collaboratively build the future of technology-enabled care with a diverse group of leading institutions."- Robert Sehring, OSF HealthCare CEO

"Chicago ARC brings together the best global technology, startups and care models with the health equity needs of healthcare providers and the communities they serve," commented Chicago ARC Executive Director, Kate Merton, Ph.D., M.B.A. "Today, we are able to share incredible progress toward defining collaboration priorities where, together with our partners, we can drive equitable innovation to transform health care in Chicago, Illinois, and across the Midwest. And, by focusing on real-world needs that represent urban and rural communities across the U.S., we will bring technologies to market significantly faster than the traditional incubator and accelerator approaches."

Chicago ARC's Healthcare Partners will define health equity market needs, contribute best practices, and serve as committed pilot sites and customers for technologies that meet defined solution requirements.

Stephen K. Klasko, M.D., M.B.A., former President of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health, and North American Ambassador, Sheba Medical Center and ARC, noted, "Chicago ARC is taking radical collaboration to the next level by bringing together the amazing traditional healthcare ecosystem in Chicago and fourth industrial revolution technologies to bring population health, social determinants, and health equity from philosophic and academic exercises to the mainstream of clinical care in Chicago and beyond."

Founding Healthcare Partner, UIUC, along with Illinois Tech are the first institutions to join as Founding Innovation Partners, which means they have formalized a commitment of their expertise and capabilities to support the success of health systems and startups.

"The Chicago ARC and its network of leading partner organizations creates the ideal way for Sheba to translate our learnings and best practices to the U.S. healthcare market. The commitment, collaboration, and expertise of the partners at the table demonstrates why the Chicago ARC model and this region are the perfect place for Sheba and our startup network to focus in the U.S.," added Professor Eyal Zimlichman, Deputy Director General, Chief Transformation Officer, and Chief Innovation Officer at Sheba Medical Center.

The Chicago ARC additionally announced the finalized partnership agreement with Sheba to make it the North American epicenter for the Newsweek Global Top-10 Hospital's global startup network. Sheba will also collaborate with Chicago ARC partners on sharing and developing technology-based care model best practices.

"Making Chicago the preferred destination for groundbreaking startups is a top priority for World Business Chicago", stated WBC CEO Michael Fassnacht. "The Chicago ARC and its significant network of healthcare and innovation partners are delivering on the vision for Chicago and Illinois as the global hub for health equity innovation. The resulting collaborations and approaches will move the needle on equitable healthcare locally and create replicable models that scale across the U.S." 

What other new Chicago ARC partners say:

Michael Hammond, Americare Senior Living President and COO: "Americare Senior Living is a trusted name in senior living throughout Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi because of our person-centered approach. The Chicago ARC partnership allows Americare to use technology and data to make a difference in the lives of our residents, their families, and our employees across 142 senior living communities through access to startups, approaches, collaborations, and capabilities not usually accessible to a senior care company."

Robert J. Jones, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor: "Partnering with the Chicago ARC will help the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign harness our groundbreaking research, entrepreneurship-focused education, and statewide connectivity to lead the way in technology-inspired care. Working together with the Chicago ARC and fellow partners we can advance health equity and economic development in Illinois while building the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and healthcare professionals."

Dillon Bannis, M.D., Insight Hospital and Medical Center Chief Medical Officer: "Insight Hospital and Medical Center is dedicated to transforming healthcare and delivering world class, compassionate expert care to every patient we serve. Through partnering with Chicago ARC, we look forward to developing new care models and leveraging cutting edge technology to increase access to high quality care for our community in Bronzeville."

Raj Echambadi, Ph.D., Illinois Institute of Technology President: "Illinois Tech is committed to liberating the collective power of difference to advance technology and progress for all. As the only technology-focused university in the global city of Chicago, Illinois Tech brings a purpose-driven focus to education, research, and innovation while serving as an engine for opportunity and economic mobility. We are excited to partner with Chicago ARC to empower health system partners and startups in their mission to innovate and solve some of the most pressing challenges facing healthcare today."

More assets including video/audio and photos are available on the OSF Newsroom.

The Chicago ARC is on a mission to accelerate tomorrow's healthcare solutions to those in need today. Its venture collaborative is a new model for equitable health innovation that invests in and grows startups that support collaboratively defined needs and care models at home, in the hospital, and in the community. The Chicago ARC provides an engine to open up the third largest U.S. healthcare market to solutions that can impact health equity at scale bringing together top startups with experienced operators, investment capital and a cross-sector partner network. Chicago ARC builds upon the proven ARC model (Accelerate, Redesign, Collaborate) of Sheba Medical Center — a Newsweek Top-10 Global Hospital. More at chicagoarc.health.

Contacts: Colleen Reynolds| Media Relations Coordinator – OSF HealthCare | (309) 825-7255
                Josh Peskin | Millwork Strategies on behalf of ARC | (267) 218-5530

SOURCE OSF HealthCare