St. Mary’s Hospital 3-D 2005

100 Centennial Celebrations:   St. Marys Health Center ---- then, now & always

1902 – 1905 humble beginnings

Two Catholic nuns arrived in Jefferson City by train from St. Louis.  Their mission from the Franciscan Sisters of Mary was simple, yet bold; establish the first hospital in Missouri’s capital city, serving people of all faiths without regard to their financial or social standing.  Sisters Mary Gertrude Sharrenbroich and ildephonse Sommerhouser spent two years raising money from the community to build the hospital, at the same time caring for the sick in a make-shift hospital in a house on Elm Street.  On Oct. 18, 1905, the city celebrated the dedication of the new St. Mary’s Hospital, a four-story stone structure with 38 patient rooms, which was to become a cornerstone of the community.

1905 – 1940     early challenges

The hospital overcame tough challenges in its early years.  During a citywide smallpox epidemic in 1907, the sisters set up a quarantine house to care for dozens of victims of the highly contagious disease.  When a worldwide flu epidemic hit in 1918, eventually claiming the lives of more than half a million Americans, the sisters turned the hospital annex into a temporary ward for flue patients.  A major setback came 1919 when a devastating fire gutted the hospital.  All patients were evacuated without harm.  The community then rallied with socials, picnics, plays, dances and baseball games to raise money to rebuild the hospital. The hardships of the Great Depression of the 1930s were reflected at St. Marys, with greater demand for services amid meager resources.  In 1935, only half of the patients treated were able to fully pay for the care they received.

1940 – 1970   years of expansion

After surviving early challenges with strong public support, St. Marys began expanding to meet the needs of its growing community.  The first major expansion was in 1932, a four story south wing that more than double capacity to 100 beds, including the first pediatric department.  Further remodeling and expansion in the 1940s included a new convent and chapel.  Recognizing the need for ongoing support, administrators formed the St. Mary’s Hospital Auxiliary in 1957, with about 200 women attending the first meeting.   The Auxiliary’s first fundraiser that year was an ice cream social, which remains a popular annual event.  In the mid-1960s, a six-story addition expanded the hospital to 200 beds, improved the emergency and surgical areas and created one of the first intensive care units in Missouri.

1970 – 2000    medical progress

Remarkable advances in medical science began to offer new hope for many people suffering devastating illnesses.  With its tradition of forging new frontiers in health care, St. Marys continually expanded services to offer the latest proven medical treatments.  In 1973, St. Marys opened a surgical day care center – later known as outpatient services.  That same year, a name change to St. Marys Health Center reflected an expanding role in promoting healthy living.  The decade of the 1980s brought major innovations in heart care to St. Marys, including the first heart catheterization laboratory, a cardiac rehab program and Central Missouri’s first open-heart surgery unit.  Beginning in the 1990s, the growing use of state-of-the-art laparoscopic equipment made many types of surgery less invasive, enabling faster and easier recovery for patients.  In interdisciplinary team of surgeons, oncologists, therapists, nurses, social workers and psychologist began working closely together to care for each patient’s total needs - -in body, mind and spirit.

TODAY    (2000 – 2005)

A renewed mission of healing

With the finest-trained staff, the latest technology and a dedication to excellence, St. Marys Health Center carries on the tradition of caring established by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary a century ago.  St. Marys continually renews its commitment to the Jefferson City area community with its mission:  Through exceptional health care services, we reveal the healing presence of God.  St. Marys is proud to be part of the SSM Health Care System, the first health system to win the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

1905 – 2005

The award recognized SSM for its patient-focused excellence, innovation and social responsibility.  Today, more than 1,200 employees of St. Marys continue the healing ministry for people of all faiths without regard to their financial or social standing.  Each year, St. Marys provides more than $2 million in charity care and free services in the community.  Inspired by its visionary founding sisters, St. Marys is now looking to the next 100 years and has announced plans to build an all-new facility that will be able to take care of the changing needs of the community – body, mind and spirit.