St Joseph Hospital

Description

About Saint Josephs
Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1880 Saint Josephs facility is Atlantas oldest hospital Today the 410bed acutecare facility is recognized as one of the top specialtyreferral hospitals in the Southeast

Saint Josephs Hospital is a leader among Georgia healthcare providers respected for its expertise innovation in healthcare delivery and quality of care While discussions of health frequently focus on competition and managed costs Saint Josephs has not lost sight of the people behind the numbers or its mission to serve those most in need A commitment to the community is deeply rooted in its

As a leader in cardiac neurologic vascular gastrointestinal respiratory orthopaedic and cancer care among others Saint Josephs offers its patients the latest procedures and treatments by providing its medical staff comprised of more than 750 physicians with research services and the most advanced technology available

In addition to serving the metroAtlanta area patients come from all over Georgia and nearby states because of Saint Josephs specialized services excellent reputation and unique patient experience In fact Saint Josephs is Georgias only hospital to have received the Top 50 Hospitals USA designation

As a result of its medical excellence compassionate care and costeffectiveness Saint Josephs has received numerous awards including the distinguished Magnet Recognition for Nursing Excellence from the American Nurses Association Credentialing Center a designation of best in Georgia and top five percent in the nation for cardiac and vascular programs and Solucients list of 100 Top Hospitals in the country for cardiac and orthopaedic care Saint Josephs is the only Atlanta hospital named to JD Power and Associates Distinguished Hospital Program for Service Excellence

Mercy Care Services

Saint Josephs is deeply committed to its original mission of providing compassionate care to those who can least afford it Saint Josephs Mercy Care Services provides primary health care education and social services to thousands of Atlantas underserved population each year through two freestanding healthcare clinics Mercy Clinic Downtown on Decatur Street and Mercy Clinic North located in the Northeast Shopping Plaza on Buford Highway as well as a mobile clinic and five vans at nearly 20 sites throughout metro Atlanta

Mercy Care Services also operates Mercy Senior Care in Rome Georgia providing needed services to elderly and disabled adults personal support services respite care and employment training Mercy Care Services has been twice recognized with the Catherine McAuley Award is a recipient of the Metropolitan Atlanta Community Foundation Managing for Excellence Award 1996 and in 1998 was recognized with the Martin Luther King Jr Humanitarian Award

Respect and Dignity for All
Saint Josephs is committed to responding to each patients total needsphysically emotional socially and spiritually Patient care management counseling pastoral care specialized support groups education and social services are all considered integral components to the care that is provided

Patient Satisfaction
Saint Josephs scores are consistently higher than the national average and rank in the 95 percentile of surveyed hospitals throughout the country regarding overall quality of care and services

Community Service
Each year Saint Josephs provides 37 million annually in charitable and uncompensated care for Atlantas poor and elderly In addition Saint Josephs Mercy Foundation raises an additional 7 million each year to respond to the medical needs of those patients least able to pay Saint Josephs employees contribute to the community as well through various organized projects Raise the Roof is a joint effort between Saint Josephs and Charis building homes for needy families One in the Spirit is the annual employee fund raising campaign which raises money for the community and Mercy Day is an organized effort to help buy hygiene kits for the homeless which are distributed in honor of the Sisters of Mercy and their mission

Our Mission
Furthering the healing ministry of the Sisters of Mercy Saint Josephs Health System a member of Catholic Health East gives tangible expression to Christs merciful love by providing compassionate clinically excellent health care in the spirit of loving service to those in need with special attention to the poor and vulnerable

To fulfill this mission we commit ourselves to

Honor the intrinsic dignity of all persons both those we serve and those who
serve

Make a positive difference in the health of our communities

Colla

History

Saint Josephs Atlantas first hospital

In Ireland in the early 1800s heiress Catherine McAuley was inspired to use her fortune to help improve the circumstances of the poor especially women and children She was persuaded by Church authorities to establish a religious order and in 1831 Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy Ministry Before her death she established 12 Mercy Foundations throughout Ireland and two in England the first convents to be built in that country since the Protestant Reformation

Sister Frances Warde and seven Mercy sisters arrived in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in 1843 and established the first US Mercy congregation By the end of the Civil War 1867 the name of Mercy was linked with the Churchs mission to care for the poor the sick and the uneducated throughout the Northeast down the Atlantic seaboard in the South the Midwest and along the West Coast

In 1880 Sister Cecilia Carroll RSM and three companions traveled from Savannah Georgia to Atlanta to minister to the sick With just 50 cents in their collective purse the sisters opened the Atlanta Hospital the first medical facility in the city after the Civil War The Atlanta Constitution expressed it eloquently on May 2 1880

Atlanta has a hospital at last It is a permanent institution which will grow in importance and usefulness as the citys needs increase The new institution is called the Atlanta Hospital and is controlled by the Sisters of Mercy whose beautiful ministrations to the afflicted are known to all

In 1900 Atlanta Hospital opened its School of Nursing and continued to train and educate nurses more than 1320 for 73 years

Supported by generous donations the Sisters nurtured the hospital in Atlanta which soon became known as Saint Josephs Infirmary

Over the years the hospital moved from a small house on Baker Street to a threestory building on Courtland Street now the site of the Marriot Marquis Hotel and was substantially expanded in 1953 In the early 70s the board of trustees voted to move from the overcrowded downtown site to a spacious 32acre campus in north Atlanta Renamed Saint Josephs Hospital of Atlanta the new facility was dedicated in February 1978