Sarah Bush Lincoln to Acquire Former Blue Cross Building

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Sarah Bush Lincoln to Acquire Former Blue Cross Building

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Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Systems plans to acquire the former Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois facility located at 201 Coles Center Parkway in Mattoon. The 50,000-square-foot building is intended to provide additional space for provider recruitment and to expand access to specialty care in the region. The purchase is expected to be finalized in October 2026.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois vacated the Mattoon facility earlier this year, having moved into a newly constructed 50,000-square-foot service center in Mattoon in June 2021. This new center, located at the southwest corner of Illinois 16 and Lerna Road, was built to accommodate over 300 employees and replaced their previous location that had been in use for 36 years.

The acquisition of the former Blue Cross building is part of Sarah Bush Lincoln’s broader strategy to expand its footprint in Central Illinois. In recent years, SBL has also acquired Bonutti Clinic and Fayette County Hospital in 2022. Sarah Bush Lincoln President and CEO Kim Uphoff emphasized that this investment is crucial for the community and the future of healthcare in the region, focusing on recruiting specialists and offering quality care close to home. Specific services for the newly acquired facility will be announced after the purchase is complete.

This expansion follows other significant projects for Sarah Bush Lincoln, including an application submitted on June 15, 2026, to construct a four-story addition to its existing hospital in Mattoon, a project valued at over $113 million. Additionally, in May 2025, SBL received approval to build the Effingham Specialty Pavilion, a new two-story, 39,946-square-foot medical office building in Effingham, projected to open near the end of 2026. The organization also continues to grow its medical staff, employing nearly 3,600 people, including approximately 300 medical staff members, and operates over 60 clinics across a 10-county area.

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