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Welcome to Resurrection Medical Center
Resurrection Medical Center is an awardwinning 360bed academic teaching hospital located on the northwest side of Chicago As a full service medical center offering comprehensive health services we are dedicated to providing quality compassionate care to all we serve Recently we opened a new fivestory Patient Care Addition with 120 private rooms Guided by the latest research every aspect of the new addition promotes healing

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History

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Neighbors Caring for Neighbors for 50 Years

1953 A Snapshot of Life

Dwight D Eisenhower was US President and Martin H Kennelly served as Chicagos mayor The Korean War had just ended and Time Magazine selected the recently crowned Queen Elizabeth II as quotWoman of the Yearquot In medical news the first open heart surgery was successfully performed in Philadelphia and the polio vaccine was administered for the first time OHare Airport was under construction and the Chicago Cubs signed Ernie Banks the teams first black player Houses continued to be built outside the city limits adding to the postWorld War II suburban sprawl And on November 1 1953 Samuel Cardinal Stritch Archbishop of Chicago dedicated the newly built Resurrection Hospital

A Vision for the Future

At the turn of the century four Sisters of the Resurrection arrived from Rome establishing their first mission in the United States in Chicago In 1920 they purchased 52 acres of farmland on the far northwest side of Chicago commonly known as Andersons Onion Farm paying 250000 for the property Sister Anne Strzelecka CR predicts that one day a hospital will be built there

In the 1940s the Sisters began planning for a hospital to meet the health care needs of residents on Chicagos northwest side and surrounding suburbs Until that time the Sisters had focused on their teaching ministry establishing schools to serve the many immigrant families making Chicago their home quotWe were responsive to community needsquot says Sister Clara Frances Kusek CR quotIt was persons from the community who asked the Sisters to build a hospital The Sisters without any healthcare experience rose to the challenge with a sense of stewardship and ministryquot

Neighbors Caring for Neighbors

To advance their plans the Sisters rallied civic and religious leaders physicians and community residents Some thought the area was too undeveloped others believed lack of public transportation would pose a problem But the legacy of quotneighbors caring for neighborsquot had begun and soon many lay people had united with the Sisters in a spirit of commitment to the new endeavor quotThe neighbors encouraged us to build a hospitalquot says Sister Bonaventure Kusek CR quotThey were with us right along and we remained in touch with themquot

By 1951 blueprints were completed for the fourstory 180bed hospital Construction moved forward but soaring costs put the proposed 1 million project at 4 million requiring community leaders and a newly formed Womens Auxiliary to embark on a successful fundraising campaign

A ChristCentered Healing Ministry

There was a flurry of activity in preparing for the dedication of the new Resurrection Hospital on November 1 1953 Among the many guests was Mother Teresa Kalstein CR Superior General of the Sisters of the Resurrection who had come from Rome for the celebration Late in the evening of October 31 Sister Mary Paul Schultz CR recalls how she and Sister Mary Thecla CR realized they had not yet asked for her blessing quotEven though it was very late we went to her room and asked for her blessing on our new ministry She graciously complied despite the fact she was already in her bedclothesquot The next day Samuel Cardinal Stritch presided at the dedication of the new hospital quotI remember that dayquot says Sister Bonaventure quotThere was a long line of people waiting to take a tour of the hospital even in the cold weather I wondered as I saw all the empty beds how we would ever fill up the hospital and be able to keep all the employees busyquot On November 3 the doors officially opened staffed by 112 physicians 250 employees and Sisters who worked in 24 different departments Sister Gregory Krzak CR was the first administrator known for nurturing the communitys support to build a hospital Sister Clara Frances remembers the first days as well quotI was the supervisor of Radiology at the time I had the privilege of taking the first radiograph one of a knee that showed a cyst I remember thinking that this was a sign of all the diagnoses we would be making and all the conditions we would be able to address that would help our patients to better healthquot

The first patient Mrs Dorothy Linneweh of Arlington Heights was admitted on November 5 by Dr Theodore Renz obstetrician The following day she gave birth to Mary Celine the hospitals first baby named after Mother Celine foundress of the Sisters of the Resurrection

While the Sisters prided themselves on providing for the communitys needs there were a few exceptions quotShortly after we opened the hospital someone brought a horse to the emergency department for carequot laughs Sister Bonaventure remembering how rural the area was at the time

In 1956 with the very real threat of polio the staff immunizes more than 4000 community residents with the Salk vaccine By 1958 volunteers had contributed a total of 126455 hours of service Longtime Auxiliary member Loretta Olech says her life has been enriched by the rewards of volunteering and the wonderful friendships she has made at the hospital over the years quotAs a volunteer you develop a sense of compassion for othersquot says Mrs Olech quotand it promotes understanding Were that added extra helping handquot A prized keepsake is a volunteer ID card signed by Sister Gregory quotI look forward to going to the hospitalquot she says of her 38 years of volunteering quotI would do it all againquot

The 1960s Planning for the Largest Expansion

quotIn the early years we were the trauma center of Northwest Chicago and the suburbsquot says Sister Mary Paul Schultz CR quotI was the supervisor of the Emergency Room at that time working closely with Dr Richard Buckingham We only had one room with space for two stretchers and were overcrowded all the time Chicago county and state police all brought us accident casesquot

Resurrection Hospital continued to add new physical facilities services and staff to keep pace with technology and a growing population During that decade doctors delivered the most babies in the hospitals 50year history quotWe responded to the needs as they surfacedquot says Sister Bonaventure quotThe community came to us they had faith in usand we initiated services as they arose such as the emergency department obstetrical and newborn care and an intensive care unitquot

The hospital launched its own fully integrated television and radio network in 1962 making it the first US hospital to use closed circuit television to inform and entertain patients A fourbed coronary care unit was opened in 1967 marking the beginning of the hospitals longterm commitment to cardiac care Two years later the hospital broke ground for a 209 million project that would include a fivestory patient care wing and a services building with a new trauma center diagnostic and treatment center expanded lab facilities eight surgical suites and recovery rooms radiological facilities enlarged intensive care unit and the welcome addition of air conditioning

The 1970s Celebrating 25 Years of Compassionate Care

In 1970 Sister Bonaventure Kusek CR was named Resurrection Hospitals second administrator It was a decade of continued growth and expansion to meet the areas growing health care needs Actively working to support the hospitals growth the Auxiliary announced that it had exceeded 1 million in gifts in 1971 An important teaching goal was reached that same year with the signing of a tenyear teaching affiliation agreement with the Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine Construction on the largest expansion project to date was completed in 1972 with Archbishop of Chicago John Cardinal Cody presiding at the blessing of the new 420bed medical complex In 1973 in order to serve Chicago Fire Department helicopters a landing pad was completed near the emergency department entrance The following year Resurrection Hospital was designated as an areawide trauma center and trained its first group of Chicago Fire Department paramedics

quotIve literally grown up with Resurrectionquot says employee Linda Andrews born at the hospital in the 1950s quotMy parents live two blocks away so I attended Resurrection High School and worked as a hospital candystriper In 1972 I was part of a benefit talent show held to raise money for the south end of the hospitalquot While working in the Patient Financial Services Department she met her future husband Vince who also continues to be employed at the hospital

As the hospital grew more room was needed In 1975 a new Professional Building opened a sixfloor structure adjacent to the hospital offering convenient access between physician offices and hospital services

In 1978 to celebrate the 25 th anniversary a gala was held at the Conrad Hilton Hotel At that milestone the 442bed hospital was staffed by 25 Sisters more than 1500 employees and 200 medical staff members In 1979 for the first time Resurrection Hospital had a father and son practicing on its medical staff at the same time when Dr Edwin Adamski Jr internal medicine was appointed His father Dr Edwin Adamski Sr was a family practioner

The 1980s Responding to Change

Starting off the decade the first four residents graduated from the hospitals Family Practice Residency program Drs Manobar Bhandarkar Dr Pramod Patel Dr Gerald Casey and Dr Sandar Raj In 1981 the hospital began operating under a new corporate structure Resurrection Health Care That year the hospital reinforced its commitment to cancer care by purchasing a new radiotherapy linear accelerator With the most advanced equipment and a highly skilled team the hospital provided the latest care in the detection and treatment of cancer The following year the 86 million Quality of Life expansion was completed adding a specialized imaging and nuclear medicine department new cancer center and expanding the total bed capacity to 454 beds Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in August for the new chilc Care Center for preschoolage children of hospital employees

In 1988 an affiliation agreement brought Resurrection Hospital and nearby John F Kennedy Medical Center later Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center into what had become the largest single healthcare system serving Chicagos Northwest Side and suburbs In 1989 Sister Donna Marie Wolowicki CR was appointed CEO of the newly renamed Resurrection Medical Center becoming the hospitals third administrator Sister Bonaventure continued as president of Resurrection Health Care a position she would hold until 1993

One is Sister Donna Maries most vivid memories is of the August 1989 flood that caused the hospital to be evacuated when electrical power was lost and closed for a week quotAt a time of crisis the genuine goodness and compassion of healthcare workers really reaches its highest levelquot she says quotTeamwork dedicated vigilance over each patient by the staff especially during the evacuation was beyond anything I have ever experienced Everyone pitched in to ensure the comfort and safety of the patientsquot

The 1990s Pioneers in Medicine

Resurrection Medical Center moved to the forefront of heart care with the expansion of key cardiac services while responding as well to the growing demand for outpatient medical care In 1990 the first cardiac catheterization laboratory was opened and surgeons performed the hospitals first open heart surgery three years later By 1994 the RMC was performing the highest number of angioplasties in Chicago and the second highest in the state The open heart surgery program soon expanded from coronary bypass surgery to valve replacement surgery and coronary stent procedures

The Family Birthplace was unveiled in 1991 with 17 labordeliveryrecoverypostpartum rooms to accommodate patients in a homelike environment Physical rehabilitation was another growing area and a comprehensive 30bed rehab unit opened that same year In line with changes in the delivery of medical care a new outpatient services building and outpatient surgery center were built

In 1997 recognizing a 50year partnership with the Auxiliary the Sisters held a special Mass and luncheon for its members saluting them for their efforts throughout the years In July a fivefoot tall hand carved statue of the Risen Jesus was unveiled at the dedication of the new lobby and admitting areas welcoming all with his outstretched arms

With continued growth the Sisters remained focused on providing stateoftheart care responding to community needs and offering a compassionate environment quotOur Catholic health care ministry has evolved to be a high tech and high touch ministryquot says Sister Donna Marie quotWe strive to provide the latest and best technology and at the same time we strive to bring the message of hope and Gods love to our patients and their families by the way we care for them Our spiritual services staff has grown over the years adding ethicists to help patients and families with difficult decisions Weve partnered with the local parishes to help bring spiritual care to every patient who wishes it and we provide spiritual training for our staff so that the human heart and soul are ministered to at the same time that medical care is deliveredquot Dr Carrie Jaworski agrees quotI was born at Resurrection and as a child this is where we came for emergency care Having grown up in this area I saw the hospital expand into a medical center The Sisters have done an excellent job of keeping up with the latest technology while still providing a warm touchquot

The New Millennium and Beyond

Great advances were made in the RMC cardiac program during 2000 with surgeons using a new technique to perform minimally invasive openheart surgery for the first time Sister Donna Marie unveiled the honorary quotResurrection Wayquot sign at Talcott and Oriole Avenues in a special dedication ceremony Special celebrations marked the Sisters of the Resurrections 100 th anniversary of their ministry in the United States The following year the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth would join with the Resurrection Sisters as cosponsors of the Resurrection Health Care ministry

quotI think the most important thing that happened during the last 50 years was the growthquot says Sister Clara Frances quotFirst with Resurrection Retirement Community opening in 1978 then the acquisition of Resurrection Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in 1980 and then the incorporation into Resurrection Health Care in 1981 The vision to operate retirement communities and nursing homes and to grow into a system was a vision whose time had come but it needed courage and risktaking in order for the growth to happenquot

In 2002 RMC became the first community hospital in Chicago to use Zevalin a new radioactive drug to treat cancer patients The first brachytherapy procedure was successfully performed a minimally invasive surgery that delivers a precise dose of radiation to coronary lesions quotOver the yearsquot says Sister Donna Marie quotwe have developed one of the most modern and hightech diagnostic and imaging centers where we provide almost any conceivable imaging procedure including two MRI units three CT units a PET scanner high quality ultrasound and the latest in radiation therapyquot

RMC installed a new MRI unit and purchased a CO 2 heart laser for open heart surgery procedures during 2003 In addition RMC became the first Chicago area hospital to have the worlds most advanced alldigital vascular and interventional imaging system to diagnose and treat vascular and cardiac disorders cancer and other diseases and disorders

Resurrection Medical Center Today

Resurrection Medical Center is a 434bed hospital with 523 physicians 1643 fulltime employees and 336 volunteers the 15th largest hospital in Chicago and the largest hospital of Resurrection Health Care Chicagos largest Catholic health care system Offering a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic services in virtually every medical specialty RMCs highly trained nurses physicians and other healthcare professionals provide the highest quality care to patients

The strong Catholic healthcare ministry the growth of the hospital to meet the healthcare needs of its patients and the continued partnership with the community continue the legacy of quotneighbors caring for neighborsquot Sister Donna Marie sums it up quotMany of our employees live right in the neighborhood so they literally care for their neighbors We have many employees who have generations of family members working at RMC mothers fathers sons daughters cousins etc We even have several second generations of physicians Many employees and physicians who were born at RMC now work at the hospital Our Auxiliary actually began working to help the Sisters raise money to build the hospital about seven years before it opened and many members and volunteers continue to come right from the neighborhoodquot