---

Description

---

Mission Statement
The mission of St Elizabeths Hospital is to minister to those in need of healthcare in response to Gods call to serve each other especially the poor In the performance of its mission St Elizabeths Hospital will foster the values of Respect Care Competence and Joy St Elizabeths Hospital is committed to performing its mission through cooperation with other healthcare providers and the community whenever possible

CORE VALUES
Our values express the Franciscan spirit and our special charisma We serve with

RESPECT
Respect is the Franciscan respect for life from conception to death and for the dignity of each individual person It is a commitment to freeing and empowering each person to develop to his or her full potential

CARE
Care embodies the concern compassion and sensitivity with which we care for patients as individuals on a onetoone basis It depicts our way of dealing with patients clients employees and coworkers Many times it is thought of as bedside behavior but it belongs in business offices cafeterias and boardrooms

COMPETENCE
Competence means that our work is performed and St Elizabeths is managed with the highest level of skill and ability We are committed to recruiting and developing people who are competent in their work and whose values reflect our own Our values are an integral part of our systems strategic plan which provides the overall framework for local activities

---

History

---

History
Caring for the sick and the needy since 1875
In 1844 a Franciscan priest named Fr Christopher Bernsmeyer OFM founded an order of religious women the Sisters of Charity The sisters had a simple mission to help the needy and provide care for the sick in their homes By 1880 the name for this order of sisters had changed to The Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis

In 1875 three of these sisters traveled from their Motherhouse in Muenster Germany to begin a healthcare mission in Belleville An old school house of St Peters parish was quickly renovated into a hospital and convent

With its primitive equipment the small hospital had barely enough room for the sisters and in case of emergency six patients For the next five years the sisters lived in their hospital focusing on nursing the sick in their homes

By 1880 their mission was growing and the little schoolhouse could no longer accommodate the growing number of patients So the sisters built a larger hospital one that would house 58 patients on the grounds where St Elizabeths stands today Many additions and renovations followed until the 1950s when most of the original structure was razed and replaced with beautiful new stateoftheart facilities

Belleville and the surrounding area meanwhile continued to grow Serious epidemics from scarlet fever to polio were brought to St Elizabeths for care The hospital kept pace with changes in healthcare and new technologies building a reputation as a leader in healthcare for Southern Illinois

Since its completion in 1954 St Elizabeths Hospital has more than quadrupled in size with the addition of medical office buildings and other facilities With outpatient facilities in OFallon and WaterlooColumbia the hospital continues to look for ways to make healthcare more accessible and convenient

With all the changes and growth over the past 130 years the mission of the founding sisters remains unchanged to provide care for the sick and needy with a spirit of respect care competence and joy

St Elizabeths Hospital is an affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System

Prayer Request We invite you to send us your special intention to be included in the prayers of our sisters Click here to submit your request