Loretto Hospital

Description

Who We Are
Loretto Hospital is a 187bed not for profit acute care hospital that values quality driven healthcare With more than 500 employees many of whom reside in surrounding neighborhoods we are the largest nongovernmental employer in Austin Chicagos largest community area with more than 132000 residents

Loretto Hospital serves patients from across the city and several western suburbs We actively participate in community events and sponsor an assortment of free health screenings and workshops to educate and spread health awareness Our Advisory Council Clergy Advisory Council and Board of Trustees link community leaders with the hospitals officials to help develop effective community programs and services

Our communitybased initiatives involve a wide range of partners and subjects including the clergy educators social service professionals elected officials civic organizations business and the corporate community

Our auxiliary staff consists of registered nurses licensed practical nurses certified nursing assistants technologists technicians therapists social workers counselors and pharmacists who make up an interdisciplinary team that works together to support and serve every patient regardless of whether the service is for outpatient care shortstay medicalsurgical care behavioral health emergency services intensive care or a wide variety of other healthcare needs

We promote an atmosphere of dignity and strive to provide all of our patients with a supportive healing environment Loretto Hospital is your Healthy Connection

Mission
Loretto Hospital is a notforprofit community based organization which partners with its physicians employees and the communities it serves to provide quality patient centered care and promotes wellness and education

Vision
Loretto Hospital strives to be the healthcare provider of choice for the communities it serves

Values
Patient First Caring for our patients and their families is always the most important thing we do

Teamwork We believe that staff must always work towards a common goal with a positive attitude

Excellence We continuously strive for excellence by always working to improve our skills programs and services

Respect We believe that each person we encounter should always be valued and treated with dignity courtesy and respect

Integrity We will always hold ourselves and others accountable for our actions and be honest ethical and open in all we do

Community Involvement We are dedicated to always improving the health and well being of the communities we serve

History

History
In 1923 Loretto Hospital was founded by Blaine Lowell Ramsey a medical doctor who along with a group of West Side physicians invested in a communitybased healthcare institution Originally named Austin Hospital one of its core missions was to provide much needed medical assistance to an increasing indigent population on the Chicagos West Side

As the nation and Chicago headed toward what would become the Great Depression 19291941 it became more difficult for patients to afford medical care This lead to Dr Ramsey and the physician investment group to sell Austin Hospital in 1929 to a Womens Christian Temperance Union Group who renamed the hospital Frances E Willard National Temperance Hospital named after a major 19th century American educator and temperance leader Due to financial difficulties the hospital was forced to reorganize its management structure in 1937 decidedly they shortened the hospitals name to Willard Hospital

The hospital and its rather noble mission to provide special consideration and assistance to the indigent became of interest to Chicagos Archbishop George William Cardinal Mundelein The Austin area though predominately white was still rather diverse to the extent that many immigrants who had moved to Chicago moved into the Austin area It particularly was home to many Polish and Lithuanian immigrants Archbishop Mundelein instructed the Sisters of St Casimir to offer to purchase the hospital and continue the mission The offer was accepted and the purchase was made on December 10 1938 which happened to be the day of the feast of Our Lady of Loretto Our Lady of Loretto celebrates the help in finding a place to live protection when traveling by plane and peace and harmony in the home

On January 1939 Loretto Hospital officially opened its doors to the public The Sisters of St Casimir reaffirmed their commitment to the community by dedicating a 6 million wing and a new diagnostic and treatment building in addition to a new Family Health Center opened later that year

During the 1960s the demographics of the Austin area made a dramatic shift from being a predominantly white community to a more than 90 AfricanAmerican community For the hospital it meant a drastic change in revenue as well as in patrons and patients being serviced in spite of the changes the hospitals core goals and mission remained the same which was providing acute medical services and especially helping those who need it the most

During the 1970s and 80s Loretto Hospital continued its efforts to modernize and expand its facilities and services to better accommodate the needs of the communities that it served

In 1997 Loretto Hospital sponsored the Austin Chamber of Commerce becoming a major partner and force in civic affairs in the Austin community Three years later the Loretto Hospital Foundation was established as a fundraising and support arm

Loretto Hospital continued to make huge strides at bringing the Chicago West Side and its surrounding communities state of the services and facilities In July 2009 the new Kimberly A Lightford Emergency Department opened its doors In addition Loretto Hospital purchased a brand new state of the art 64slice CT scanner that was installed in the new Digital Imagery Department formerly known as the Radiology Department

Currently Loretto Hospital is the largest nongovernmental employer in the Austin community employing more than 500 hardworking people Loretto offers one of the most comprehensive substance abuse programs in Chicago including detoxification in patient hospitalization outpatient mental healthcare and substance abuse counseling and assistance Our 187beds serve more than 32000 patients annually We have special programs and services that include but not limited to Breathe Easy AsthmaAllergy Program James D Montgomery Mens Health Program HIVAIDS Family Counseling Program and Breast Cancer Awareness Program

As you can see Loretto Hospital is working diligently to add to its legacy as a healthcare provider that provides high quality patient care to the communities it serves regardless of economic status