Our History & Progress

UnityPoint Health - Methodist was founded through the efforts of deaconesses of the Methodist Episcopal Church. On May 24, 1900, Methodist opened as Deaconess Home and Hospital, with 20 beds and its own school of nursing. The first permanent building was dedicated in 1917 and the name was changed to Methodist Hospital. Today, Methodist Medical Center of Illinois is a leader in healthcare in Central Illinois. On Oct. 1, 2011, Methodist became the eighth senior affiliate of Iowa Health System, the nation’s 5th largest nondenominational health system.

View the Methodist Historical Timeline

Our services have expanded to include:

• Methodist Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute, named one of America's 100 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in 1999 and 2005
• A comprehensive cancer program
• Emergency Department and Level II Trauma Center
• State-of-the-art diagnostic imaging services including CT, PET, MRI and nuclear medicine 
• Family-centered birthing services and a perinatologist for high-risk pregnancies
• A modern rehabilitation unit, which assists stroke and accident victims
• The area's most experienced sleep disorders center
• An ambulatory surgery program  
• The Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine
• The area's most comprehensive mental health services, with programs for adults, seniors, adolescents, and children
• The Diabetes Care Center
• A multi-disciplinary Pain Management Clinic with fellowship-trained pain management specialists
• Methodist Medical Group -- our network of Methodist-employed primary care and specialty physicians
• Methodist College of Nursing

Methodist is a teaching affiliate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria and home to the Family Practice Residency Program.