Blessing Hospital

Description

Blessing Hospital is the largest and most sophisticated medical center in a 100mile radius with a medical staff of more than 240 physicians and a team of more than 2000 employees As the regional leader in patient and family centered care Blessing Hospital is committed to excellence We offer quality compassionate and comprehensive medical care and place a strong emphasis on community wellness Blessing continues to respond to the changing health care needs of the regions residents by keeping pace with technology and providing services that are convenient accessible and vital to our mission to improve life

History

The Blessing story Nearly 130 years of service to the region

Humble Beginnings

At a public meeting held in the Adams County courthouse on December 1 1869 a committee known as the Relief Association was appointed to provide relief for the poor during the approaching winter The groups first service was the distribution of grocery items and other provisions valued at 9000

By the fall of 1873 it became apparent that there was a real need in the city for a general hospital and on October 29 1873 the Charitable Aid and Hospital Association of Quincy was formed

By May 19 1875 the Association raised 12000 and opened a 19room hospital with space for 30 patients on a tract of land donated by prominent Quincy couple Sarah and Mathias Denman

St Mary Hospital Makes Its Mark

While Blessing Hospital was establishing itself as a community hospital for the sick and the destitute Quincys first permanent hospital St Mary Hospital was nearing its 10th year of operation

The story of St Mary Hospital begins in 1866 when the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor arrived after a request by the Rev Herman Conrad Schaefermeyer pastor of St Boniface Church to open a hospital in Quincy The mission and goal of St Mary Hospital was much like that of Blessing to minister to the sick and the poor of the community

The Sisters were inspired by the quothealing ministry of Jesusquot with the philosophy to see Christ in every person and treat each patient with compassion and dignity By October 1867 their efforts to raise money and support for a hospital culminated in the opening of St Mary Hospital a 50bed facility built on a plot of land located at 14th and Broadway sold by William Moore and C Fischer for 17 per foot

A TwoHospital Community

Establishing a hospital was difficult in the early days as only the poor sought care In those days welltodo people were cared for in their homes by the women of the house

Blessing Hospital was founded because members of the community felt there was no place for poor and sick travelers to go The City Poor House was not equipped as a hospital and St Mary Hospital which was also an asylum was frequently full

From the outset there was friendly competition between Blessing and St Mary hospitals The 1877 annual report of the Charitable Aid and Hospital Association of Quincy states quotTheir zeal in such matters of practical benevolence is well worth imitation if Protestants showed a fraction of the interest manifested by them in their charities Blessing Hospital and Woodland Home an orphanage would never languish for want of funds but would be monuments of benevolence of the Protestant Churches in Quincyquot

The histories of Quincys hospitals show the efforts of the founders grew out of a commitment to the health of the community and a need to serve the sick and the poor This commitment to health was graciously returned to the hospitals through financial gifts bequests and donations Among the hospital supporters was the St Mary Hospital Society who held fundraising activities to be able to purchase Quincys first ambulance in 1898

A Leader in Nursing Education

Significant to the development of the healthcare in Quincy was the founding of the Blessing Hospital Training School for Nurses in 1891 one of the first accredited nursing schools in the Midwest to be organized outside of Chicago From the first graduating class in 1894 the now BlessingRieman College of Nursing has experienced tremendous growth The College of Nursing offers a four year BSN program and is accredited by the National League for Nursing a designation denoting excellence in nursing education

The Changing Face of Healthcare

Growth of the community and advances in medical care spurred the growth of Quincys hospitals As the hospitals grew so to did their commitment to provide quality compassionate medical care while keeping pace with technology The tradition of healthcare in Quincy took an historic turn on April 1 1993 when Blessing Hospital acquired the assets of St Mary Hospital Combining the services of Quincys two hospitals was a major step taken to strengthen Quincy as the regions medical hub

Today a Regional Medical Center

Now operating as one hospital from two campuses Blessing Hospital has become the largest and most sophisticated center in a 100mile radius with over 13400 inpatients and 245000 outpatients annually As a regional healthcare provider the Hospital offers a breadth of services seldom found outside major metropolitan areas Care is provided by a medical staff of more than 240 physicians over 90 percent of whom are boardcertified dozens more dentists and other credentialed healthcare professionals and more than 2000 Blessing Hospital employees providing hospital services 24hoursaday 365daysayear

The Hospital is directed by a 13member voluntary Board of Trustees composed of local citizens who have distinguished themselves in community service as well as their chosen occupations

Organizationally Blessing Hospital is part of a family of corporations created in part to accommodate diversified growth The system parent is Blessing Corporate Services Inc Other affiliates include BlessingCare Corporation which manages Illini Community Hospital in Pittsfield IL Blessing Physician Services Blessing Affiliates Inc which oversees the management of the Community Outreach Clinic COC The Blessing Foundation a fundraising organization and Denman Services Inc a forprofit company with six separate business ventures Denman Medical Equipment amp Supply Macomb Medical Denman Linen Services Adaptive Mobility Systems and Denman Biomedical Blessing Corporate Services Inc is also a partner in Quincy Health Care Management Inc with the Quincy Medical Group

The future holds many changes for the delivery of healthcare Blessing Hospital views these changes as opportunities to improve the communitys health and to advance both the science and art of healing Its responses will be designed to enhance quality to the patients it serves and efficiency to the region to which it is accountable These are Blessings traditions and ones not subject to compromise

While so much has changed since 1875 dedication and commitment to our patients always remain the focus of Blessings efforts