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This past year has been a profound reminder of what it means to serve as a Catholic health ministry — called to reveal the healing presence of God to every person in need. Our work, our Mission, and our impact remain deeply rooted in the Gospel values of compassion, stewardship, dignity, and service.

During 2025 the SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation and the SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation made a thoughtful and prayerful decision to unify. This step — taken with great care and respect for the legacy of both communities — strengthens our ability to live our Mission by expanding access to compassionate care and ensuring that each donor’s intent continues to be honored. Our new identity, SSM Health Foundation – Southern Illinois reflects our unified service to the region and our common spiritual purpose.

Because of extraordinary generosity that fuels our ministries …

• Patients receive specialized services supported by the latest advancements in medical care.

• Caregivers are more present at the bedside, offering timely care and human connection in moments of crisis.

• Our Mission extends beyond hospital walls to help to safeguard the well-being of children and families throughout our communities.

• Patients and families are provided comfort, safety, and dignity during sacred final stages of life.

• All individuals receive care — regardless of circumstances or ability to pay.

Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue the healing work begun by the sisters who founded SSM Health more than 150 years ago. As you reflect on the stories in this report, I hope you feel the deep spiritual impact of your giving. Your support ensures that the healing presence of God continues to be revealed through the hands of our caregivers — and through the lives we touch together.

With sincere gratitude,

Kay Zibby-Damron Foundation Director

SSM Health Foundation – Southern Illinois

Ms.

Your generosity reflected.

Now more than ever, your generosity is shaping the future of exceptional care for our community. Because of you, our caregivers have the resources, technology, and training they need to deliver care every day. In 2025, that commitment was recognized in an extraordinary way: SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon was named to Forbes’ first - ever list of Top Hospitals. This reflects not only the dedication of our clinical teams — it reflects YOU. Your investment in patient care, innovation, and healing spaces strengthens the experience of every person who walks through our doors.

Local care begins within

Sierra Hiestand’s path is one of the many made possible through donor generosity. Thanks to the Dr. Jean M. Modert Scholarship, she was able to pursue her advanced nursing education — an opportunity that helped her take the next step in her career and answer a calling she felt deeply.

After eight years caring for Southern Illinois families as a nurse at SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital, Sierra completed her nurse practitioner training and, in 2025, joined the family medicine team at SSM Health Medical Group. Today, she is providing exactly the kind of primary care that rural communities struggle to access due to ongoing provider shortages. Your generosity didn’t just support her education — it helped bring a highly skilled nurse practitioner to a community where patients urgently need consistent, local care.

“I want my patients to feel heard, respected, and empowered to take charge of their health. Together, we’ll build a relationship based on trust, open communication, and shared decisions,” Sierra said. Now because of donors she gets to live that Mission every day.

How one device is transforming newborn care in a rural community

Shortly after birth, a newborn at SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon began struggling to breathe. Despite rapid assessments and normal lab results, the cause remained unclear — and every second mattered.

With one call, the care team activated their Teledoc device. Within moments, specialists at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis were on-screen, assessing the infant in real time. Using the device’s high-resolution camera, they zoomed in on the baby’s X-ray — access that previously could take up to 30 minutes to obtain.

That immediate visibility allowed SSM Health Cardinal Glennon experts to spot an enlarged heart and diagnose cardiomyopathy within moments — something that can be challenging for providers without pediatric specialty training to identify so quickly.

This kind of swift, lifesaving care is possible because of you. Your generosity brought the Teledoc device to the women’s center at SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital, providing essential technology for rural hospitals.

Before donors stepped in, the women’s center relied on a shared device with limited functionality — and before that, only traditional phone consultations. Now, with Teledoc, providers can examine newborns as if they were bedside — zooming in on equipment, reviewing imaging instantly, and even listening to a baby’s heart and lungs through a digital stethoscope.

In rural communities like Mt. Vernon, this device helps keep families close to home. With specialists able to assess a newborn in seconds, parents gain the reassurance of knowing whether a transfer is absolutely necessary or if their baby can safely continue receiving care right where they are.

The power of prevention

At SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia, protecting our community’s children is more than a Mission — it’s a promise. Families in Centralia and across Southern Illinois often face significant financial challenges, making access to basic health and safety resources difficult. That’s why our ER proudly maintains certification through Illinois’ Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program. This designation ensures that every child, regardless of where they live or what they can afford, receives high-quality emergency care and injury prevention services.

One of the most impactful ways we deliver on this promise is by meeting families where they are.

Every August, during Centralia’s Annual Balloon Fest, our nurses are on-site providing free bicycle helmets and safety education to

Restoring peace in life’s most fragile moments

When a Southern Illinois mother entered hospice as an in-care cancer patient, her family was already stretched far beyond their limits. She lived with her son and his girlfriend in a remote home with limited electricity and no central heat or air. The household survived on less than $1,000 a month in Social Security income, leaving no room for even basic needs — let alone end-of-life costs such as cremation.

For families already overwhelmed with caregiving, this kind of expense can feel impossible.

Thanks to donor generosity, the cremation cost was fully covered. The support lifted an enormous burden from a grieving family who simply had no means left to give. Their gratitude ran deep. Wanting to express their appreciation, the son and his girlfriend later brought a handwritten thank you card to the SSM Health at Home Hospice care team, sharing the impact this support had on their family.

children and their parents. For many families, purchasing a helmet simply isn’t a priority when transportation to medical appointments is already out of reach. Thanks to generous donor support, we remove that barrier — because no child should go without protection.

The results speak volumes. In 2024, we fitted 160 helmets for local kids; in 2025, nearly 100 more received this lifesaving gear. Each helmet represents more than safety — it represents hope, care, and the power of community.

As Susie Robbins, retired ER nursing director from SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital and current foundation board member who still leads this initiative said, “If we can save even just one child every year, that’s money well spent to prevent head injury.”

Every hospice patient receives oxygen to help with breathing at the end of life. What many people don’t realize is that oxygen is highly flammable — and that many patients in rural and low-income areas don’t even have basic safety items such as smoke detectors.

For Andrea Shupe and Michelle Venturi, social workers with SSM Health at Home Hospice who conduct first-visit safety assessments, this is a reality they see often. Families living on fixed incomes struggle to pay bills, let alone purchase safety equipment. Some live in homes with limited resources — conditions that might seem unfamiliar to many but are part of their everyday reality.

Because of donor funding, Andrea and Michelle never have to leave a patient in an unsafe home. The moment they discover a missing smoke detector; they can install one immediately.

For patients and caregivers already overwhelmed by end-of-life realities, eliminating one more worry makes a meaningful difference. “Caring for your loved one is stressful enough — you shouldn’t have to worry about how you’ll afford safety items that keep them protected,” Andrea said.

Prepared for the unexpected

When a baby is born unexpectedly in the ER at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital – Centralia, every second matters. The first 60 seconds after birth are critical for a newborn to begin breathing on their own. A delay in providing positive pressure ventilation can increase the risk of complications — or even death. Every 30-second delay raises that risk by 16%.

Several years ago, when labor and delivery services moved from SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital – Centralia to SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital – Mt. Vernon, the lifesaving NeoPuff Infant Respirator moved too. That made sense at the time — but it left SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital without this vital device for emergencies.

“We don’t have mothers deliver unexpectedly in our ER very often,” explained Aimee Nix, Manager of Respiratory Therapy at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital. “We want mom and baby to go to Mt. Vernon if there’s time, but if there’s not time, and they come to us, we have to be prepared.”

Because of you, we are prepared. SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital ER now has its own NeoPuff Infant Respirator — a lifesaving device designed to help newborns who aren’t breathing at birth or who struggle to breathe on their own.

Before this purchase, staff relied on a manual resuscitation bag — a method that was less consistent and prone to human error. The NeoPuff changes everything. It delivers controlled, continuous positive airway pressure for as long as needed, ensuring the safest start for fragile newborns.

“When a situation happens and we need it, it’s there for us now,” said Aimee Nix.

Your gift means that when the unexpected happens, the team at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital can act immediately. The goal is simple but critical: Get the baby breathing on its own and raise its oxygen levels as quickly as possible.

Keeping care moving when it matters most

Our nurses see 60 patients a day and make countless critical decisions. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, caregivers now have the tools they need to deliver care without delay. With support from the SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital Auxiliary, four fully equipped mobile workstations complete with laptops, monitors, printers, and barcode scanners were funded so nurses can stay at the bedside and keep care moving.

“With these workstations, nurses can move seamlessly from one bedside to another, accessing real-time patient information and critical data without returning repeatedly to a central nursing station, reducing

unnecessary steps and optimizing their time,” said Lori Scott, Director of the ER, Region 5 EMS System Administrator, and Vascular Access Team at SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital – Mt. Vernon. “This mobility means they can review lab results, update charts, and dispense medications right at the bedside — answering questions promptly and involving patients in their care plans.” Each unit includes barcode scanners, reducing errors and ensuring the right medication reaches the right patient. Now, documentation happens in real time, assessments and progress notes flow directly into the electronic health record, eliminating manual charting and improving accuracy.

Care worth noting–because of you

When a patient at SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital sat down to write a thank you note, she didn’t single out just one person — she thanked everyone who played a part in her healing. She described caregivers who showed up “every single time with words of comfort and encouragement,” a place with “a warmth … that feels like family,” and an exceptional physician who “connected all the dots” to finally provide answers.

“I would like to thank the kitchen staff, housekeeping, the priest who offered prayers, and every single person who displayed some form of kindness towared me.”

—Lisa E.

Your generosity helps make experiences like this possible. Through philanthropy, we invest in the people, programs, and spaces that surround each patient with skill, empathy, and hope — from the bedside to the lab, from housekeeping to spiritual care. This letter is more than gratitude; it’s proof that when a community believes in compassionate care, lives are changed. Thank you for being part of every reassuring word, every answered question, and every step toward healing.

“There is a warmth within this place that feels like family, and I felt so very cared for during my stay.”

—Lisa E.

SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital 1 Good Samaritan Way Mt. Vernon, Illinois 62864

SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital 400 N. Pleasant Ave. Centralia, Illinois 62801