The History of OSF Sacred Heart Medical Center – Urbana
For more than a century, OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart Medical Center – Urbana – formerly OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center – has been dedicated to serving the Urbana community with compassionate care with a spirit of innovation. What began in 1919 as a small temporary hospital in the Wendt Home grew through the vision of faith-based caregivers, community support and a commitment to meeting evolving health needs.
Over the decades, the hospital introduced pioneering services, expanded facilities and trained generations of nurses while remaining rooted in its purpose of healing. This timeline highlights the milestones that shaped a trusted health care provider serving Urbana and the surrounding region.
The Beginning
1919: Father R. J. Flynn secured the Wendt property on Fifth and White Streets for Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross to serve as a temporary hospital.
1920s
1920: The Sisters selected a site for a new hospital on the corner of Park and Wright Streets.
1922: After a successful fund drive, construction began on the new hospital.
1923: The new 50-bed Mercy Hospital on West Park Street opened.
1926: Seven Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary began a new ministry at Mercy Hospital when the Sisters of the Holy Cross found it necessary to withdraw from the hospital.
1928: Mercy Hospital Nurses’ Training School was opened with two students.
1930s & 1940s
1931: The first class of students graduated from Mercy Hospital Nurses’ Training School.
1938: A new laundry area and roof garden were added to the east end of the building
1941: A groundbreaking was held for a 40-bed, addition to Mercy Hospital at a cost of $100,000.
1946: A premature nursery was added to Mercy Hospital.
1949: A second addition to Mercy Hospital included 23 beds and a laboratory
1950s & 1960s
1954: The Atomic Energy Commission granted Mercy Hospital permission to build and open a radioactive isotope laboratory.
1954: The Mercy Hospital Auxiliary was formed.
1961: A groundbreaking was held for a new addition at Mercy Hospital.
1961: A 32-bed mental health ward was added to Mercy Hospital at the cost of $400,000.
1963: The new addition to the east end of the original building was dedicated.
1966: Mercy Hospital established its Intensive Care Unit.
1970s
1970: Mercy Hospital Nurses’ Training School was closed. The school graduated more than 500 nurses from its program in its duration
1972: Mercy Hospital was the first in downstate Illinois to install a linear accelerator for cancer treatment. It was the 97th unit to be installed in the United States and Europe.
1973: Sister Beverly Ann broke ground for a $3.66 million addition to Mercy Hospital.
1976: The Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary celebrated 50 years of service at Mercy Hospital.
1976: A three-story addition was completed bringing the bed capacity to 266.
1979: Mercy Hospital Home Health Care Services were established.
1980s
1980: A hospice program was established.
1981: A new Ambulatory Care Center was dedicated.
1983: The dedication and blessing took place for “St. Mathew’s Prairie,” a mural by Harry F. Breen.
1983: A special ecumenical service was held for the rededication of the hospital chapel after it was refurbished by Professor Emeritus Nicholas Britsky.
1989: Mercy Hospital and Burnham City Hospital merged and became Covenant Medical Center.
1990s & 2000s
1991: Dr. Adolf Lo of Covenant’s Radiology Department performed a rotablator atherectomy, the first such procedure done in downstate Illinois.
1997: The Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, The Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary and The Sisters of Mercy of the Americans merged and created Provena Health.
2000: The Provena Covenant Cancer Center opened.
2010s
2011: Provena Health and Resurrection Health agreed to merge to create the single largest health care provider in Illinois, becoming Presence Health.
2012: Provena Covenant Medical Center became Presence Covenant Medical Center.
2018: A special Mass was held to celebrate Presence Covenant Medical Center becoming OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center.
2020s
2021: A ribbon cutting and blessing was held for a new helipad.
2022: Bishop Tylka blessed OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center for 100 years of service to the community.
2023: A special dedication Mass was held for the redecorated chapel.
2024: OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center created a $150,00 partnership with the Urbana Park District to support health and wellness in the community.
2025: OSF HealthCare announced that the Urbana campus would focus on behavioral health services.
2026: OSF Heart of Mary officially became the Urbana campus of OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart Medical Center.