St Joseph Health Services

Description

MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of St Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island is to preserve restore and enhance the health of individuals and families we serve within our communities guided by our core values of respect compassion responsibility teamwork and patient safety consistent with the healing ministry of the Catholic Church

History

A History of Caring and Healing

St Joseph Hospital first opened its doors to the poor and suffering sick of Rhode Island on April 6 1892 under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of ProvidenceIts home was the old Harris Estate along Broad Street between Peace and Plenty Streets in an area then considered one of the wealthiest and most fashionable neighborhoods in Providence St Joseph Hospital became the eighth hospital in the United States to be run by the Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis a religious community then based in Philadelphia

The threestory Harris mansion purchased by Bishop Matthew Harkins in August 1891 was filled to capacity soon after its opening Within months plans were made and funds were raised for a new 175bed hospital building erected next door by William Gilbane and Brothers of Providence on adjacent land Ground was broken in April 1893 and the cornerstone was laid on July 1 1893 in a celebration that drew a crowd along Broad Street estimated at upwards of 50000 James Cardinal Gibbons Archbishop of Baltimore was principal speaker

From 188 patients to 90000

In its first year the hospital spent 29332 and treated 188 patients Today St Joseph Health Services has more than 1800 employees a staff of 300 physicians and dentists treats more than 90000 patients annually and has expenses of 114 million

It has been a fascinating 100year evolution for this hospital whose mission to help those in need has been strengthened in the 1990s

Within weeks of its opening in 1892 The Diocese of Providence realized that the modest facility could not meet the demand for its services The Sisters could only accommodate onetenth of the people who came to their door seeking medical treatment In addition to its expansion next door St Joseph Hospital opened its own School of Nursing The first class graduated in 1902 joining the hospital staff in meeting the communitys health care needs

To meet an increasing demand for care of patients with tuberculosis the hospital in 1904 opened the states first sanitarium on its farm in the Hillsgrove section of Warwick a facility for the chronically ill that remained open for 50 years

Growing Pains
The hospital again had growing pains before the 1920s were over In 1929 construction began on a new West Wing of the main building providing additional facilities for medical surgical patients Six years later an advanced program for Rhode Islands crippled children was opened at the hospital

Wherever and whenever there was a pressing community need St Joseph Hospital responded In 1938 it cared for many people injured by the severe hurricane that battered New England as well as victims of illnesses brought on by the disaster that claimed more than 300 lives and caused 200 million in damage

When the United States entered World War II following the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7 1941 St Joseph Hospital offered its facilities to the armed forces The Navy designated the facility as a dependents hospital to care for the wives and children of Navy servicemen until adequate facilities were made available a the Quonset Point Naval Air Station and the Newport Naval Hospital

Fatima joins the fold

In 1954 the Diocese of Providence opened a new 175bed facility Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence Initially designed as a hospital for the chronically ill it replaced St Joseph Hospitals Hillsgrove chronic care facility in Warwick Fatima became a general hospital in 1955 and expanded in 1960 when 100 beds were added Over the next three years the Harris Estate mansion was razed along with the East Wing the opened in 1893 They were replaced by the Bishop William E Stang Memorial Building in 1964

By the end of the 1960s the Diocese decided to merge St Joseph and Our Lady of Fatima Hospitals under a single administration and identity The shared facilities at the Fatima Unit in North Providence and the Providence Unit on the original site off Broad Street became the secondlargest general hospital in Rhode Island

The hospital today is a nonprofit general acute care facility operating under the patronage of the Diocese of Providence It offers treatment in 28 medical surgical specialties and has a nationally recognized Ambulatory Care Center and 24hour Emergency Care Center

In addition to operating the states only hospitalbased school of nursing it also runs schools of medical technology cytotechnology and histotechnology

Entering a new century

As St Joseph Hospital prepares to enter its second century of service it is going through a rebirth as a result of a threeyear restructuring program that began in November 1990

All acute medical and surgical coronary intensive care and emergency services are being consolidated at the Fatima Unit in North Providence which will become a center of clinical excellence offering the most advanced medical instrumentation and clinical technologies available

The Providence Unit has been transformed into a regional specialty hospital for rehabilitation and psychiatric services It is also home to our innercity primary care center The Center for Health and Human Services