OSF HealthCare has named Jennifer Junis, RN, MSN, as senior vice president of OSF Saint Gabriel Digital Health. The initiative will use digital technology to expand access to care and respond to the number one priority for health care consumers today – convenience.
Junis has served as the president of OSF Healthcare St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg since January 2018. Prior to that, she served in various leadership positions including president of OSF HealthCare Saint Paul Medical Center in Mendota and the chief nursing officer of OSF HealthCare Saint Luke Medical Center in Kewanee. In her new role, Junis will be the strategic and operational leader of virtual, on demand and retail services such as OSF Urgo urgent care and OSF OnCall.
“Jennifer has been an invaluable member of our Digital Transformation initiative to date,” said Michelle Conger, chief strategy officer and chief executive officer, OSF Saint Gabriel Digital Health. She added, “As a nurse, Jennifer has unique insights into the best digital solutions to connect providers with patients, families and caregivers to improve preventative care as well as follow-up care after a trip to the emergency department, hospitalization or medical procedure.”
As a hospital leader in several rural communities, Junis helped regionalize services to provide consistent access to specialty care that might not otherwise be available in the rural communities throughout Western Illinois. That out-of-the-box thinking will inform how OSF HealthCare leverages new technology to become more patient-centered and connected 24/7 to be where patients are, wherever that might be.
Junis led the Patient and Individual Experience Work Group as part of initial digital transformation efforts.
“I’m looking forward to developing new and innovative care models to make sure that every person who needs health care, has access and that it is delivered in a way that makes sense for their lifestyle,” said Junis. “Using tools such as mobile health apps, virtual triage, and telemedicine, we will be able to better connect our communities to the services they need in real time.”
She’s also excited about empowering patients to be more involved with their own health care.
“We want patients to have relevant information and appropriate technology to make better-informed decisions about their own health care because research shows when patients, their families and caregivers are engaged, they have better outcomes,” according to Junis.
Additionally, OSF Saint Gabriel Digital Health will ensure a coordinated approach to patients with the most complex health conditions; where primary care providers and specialists are connected through technology to offer support for those highest risk patients. With improved monitoring and communication, patients should be able to stay out of the hospital and enjoy a better quality of life.
Junis will assume her new role July 29. Recruitment for a new president for OSF St. Mary Medical Center will begin immediately. Roxanna Crosser, chief executive officer of the Western Region, will serve as interim president.
***Report Courtesy of OSF HealthCare***
