Yednock Passes Bill to Aid St. Margaret’s Health Care System

​Springfield, Ill. – As part of his continued efforts to support local health care systems, state Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, passed a bill to allow hospitals in contiguous counties to operate under the same license and lower administrative costs.

“The recent merger of St. Margaret’s Health and Illinois Valley Community Hospital helped the General Assembly recognize a gap in existing law,” said Yednock. “Senate Bill 1435 is a common-sense solution to a significant problem in our community and streamlines hospital operations and administration.”

Senate Bill 1435 allows St. Margaret’s Spring Valley and St. Margaret’s Peru to operate under a single license even though they are in separate counties. Current law dictates that hospitals in two separate counties must operate under separate licenses, which means that although the two branches of St. Margaret’s are less than five miles apart, they would still have to operate under two different licenses. Senate Bill 1435 solves this problem and allows the two branches to operate under one license, with a single board of directors, staff and CEO.

“St. Margaret’s Spring Valley and St. Margaret’s Peru may be separated by a county line, but they are one health care system serving one community,” Yednock said. “I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their support for this bill. When we work together, we improve communities across the state.”

Senate Bill 1435 passed both chambers of the General Assembly with bipartisan support, and heads to the Governor for consideration.