Annual Report for Southern Illinois

In 2023, SSM Health in Illinois, which is a joint venture with the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice (commonly known as the Felician Sisters), served the region through SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - Centralia, SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital - Mt. Vernon, two convenient care locations, two hospitals managed but not owned by SSM Health and 30 multi-specialty physician clinic locations. Together, we are committed to improving the lives and health of our patients and communities, with special focus on the region’s most pressing health needs, including behavioral health, substance use disorder, and nutritional access.

SSM Health provided $36,175,653 in Southern Illinois community benefit for 2023.

2023 Illinois Community Benefit by the Numbers

MedDrop Medication Collection Kiosks

Ensuring Substance Abuse Prevention Efforts

After nearly 51% of respondents to SSM Health’s 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment survey identified substance abuse prevention as one the of the top priority needs in the Southern Illinois region, SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital - Mt. Vernon and SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - Centralia partnered with Stericycle, Inc. to offer their communities MedDrop Medication collection kiosks.

Accessible year-round and located in the hospitals’ emergency department entrances, the kiosks provide a safe, secure, and convenient way to dispose of unused or expired household medications that could otherwise have been diverted or abused. They also protect the environment by mitigating the contamination of waterways and drinking water systems because of improper disposal from flushing. Since the beginning of the program, 530 pounds of unused or expired medication have been safely disposed.