Our Daily Show! OSF St. Anthony's 100 Year Open House: Holly- OSF OnCall
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ALTON - OSF St. Anthony’s Health Center just marked its 100th anniversary, and Holly with the OSF OnCall department noted that their work remains innovative and cutting-edge even a century later.
As a digital health navigator, Holly works directly with patients to help them receive care and connect to additional OSF services. She is “the boots on the ground,” regularly going out into the community to care for people.
“I’ve been around since 2020 in this department. It has expanded tremendously,” she shared.
Holly and her team operate the OSF OnCall Connect On The Go Van. This vehicle travels throughout the community and provides free health services for anyone over age 18. They check cholesterol, blood pressure, oxygen and similar health markers and connect people to other OSF services as needed.
In addition to health screenings, they offer affordable virtual visits through the van. Patients can come to the van with symptoms or concerns, and the digital health navigators will connect them with a physician.
“Anyone can come up to our van in our community if they have a need like flu symptoms or an earache, something they would go to a physical prompt care location to be seen for,” Holly explained. “We can see them in our van. We have very advanced technology called TITO, and it allows the provider to see them in real time.”
The digital health navigator can examine the patient with the provider on the line, and the provider can then diagnose and prescribe as needed. If they’d rather, patients can also fill out a symptom questionnaire and the provider will contact them based on that questionnaire.
Holly emphasized that the OnCall Connect On The Go Van and virtual visits are helpful for community members who struggle with transportation or mobility. Additionally, you can access virtual healthcare 24/7 through their website.
Holly also helps people connect with SilverCloud, a free app available to anyone over age 18 who is struggling with their mental health. After you make a profile and complete a questionnaire, the app will provide you with resources and programs to address your mental health concern.
“They create a free profile, answer some basic questions,” she said. “If maybe a combination of depression and anxiety modules and support would be the best fit for them, they work through it anonymously for eight to ten weeks, and then they have someone who checks in on them throughout the program. It’s a great tool, a great resource.”
When patients connect with digital health navigators, these healthcare professionals will also ask some basic questions to assess any other needs you might have, from food insecurity to utility bill support. The navigators are well-equipped to share resources and information about local supports.
Holly encourages people to visit the official OSF OnCall Department website or call 309-886-4200 with any questions about these services, including how to access them.
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