Pontiac terminates OSF agreement

The Pontiac City Council voted to terminate an agreement with OSF St. James for ambulance transport service, which was in place since Aug. 1, 2022.

City leaders Monday night voted to terminate the agreement effective Jan. 1, 2026.

“Our ambulance service will no longer provide inter-facility transfers for OSF with the exception of emergency cardiac-related patients that need to be moved out to a different facility,” explained Pontiac Mayor Kelly Eckhoff.

This week’s decision did not come without plenty of discussion, examination of the numbers and how it impacts the service offered to residents.

“(OSF) has been using us quite regularly for inter-facility transfers and it has put a strain on our capabilities to be able to provide service without potentially needing to add more staff, more ambulances and it simply did not make sense to move in that direction,” adds Eckhoff.

The mayor emphasizes all they are doing is eliminating the transfers for OSF. Local patients will still be managed if someone needs a ride to their home or to a nursing facility in Pontiac upon dismissal. Also, 911 calls will go on as normal and services to residents will not change.

“The public should rest easy that OSF will make their own plan moving forward on how they are going to take care of their transfers.”

Also during Monday’s Pontiac City Council meeting, a change in the upcoming Threshermen’s Parade route was revealed as the Mill Street bridge work is not expected to be finished in time for the parade on Sunday of Labor Day weekend.

“We put in a plan B in conjunction with the Pontiac Chamber,” notes Eckhoff.

The change in the route simply eliminates the Mill Street bridge and the two blocks south will not be a part of this year’s parade route. Everything else stays the same for the parade, except for the staging area.

Pontiac city leaders approved the addition of a story walk display which will be placed at Humiston Riverside Park. This is from a grant funded through a program the library applied for. The series of 22 displays in the park allow visitors to walk through and essentially read a book.

“Look for that to be coming to the park later this fall,” said Eckhoff.