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Our History The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia opened St. Elizabeth Hospital on August 24, 1897 in response to a request by Archbishop William L. Gross. Through the years, St. Elizabeth Health Services has continued to serve the health care needs of the Baker community and its surrounding areas. Initially, the hospital, staffed by just three Sisters, was located at the corner of Second and Church streets in a renovated building – formerly St. Francis Academy that was operated by the sisters. During St. Elizabeth Hospital’s first year, the Sisters provided care to 115 patients, many of whom were local gold miners. These men were covered by a unique kind of health insurance. For a contribution of one dollar a month, each miner received complete health care services, an arrangement that made St. Elizabeth Hospital one of the earliest "Health Maintenance Organizations" in the country. In 1912 construction began for a new 115-bed facility which was completed in 1915. During the influenza epidemic of that time, many influenza patients were treated at the hospital, and Sisters also went to the home of these people to care for them. Over the years since then, the times and standards have changed, and St. Elizabeth Hospital has changed too. In 1967, it became apparent a new facility and support services were needed. As a result, the Sisters took another step forward, initiating the construction of a new 50-bed, one-story facility in April 1969, which the Hospital moved into in October 1970. In this current home, general nursing care is provided, as well as specialized services in the departments of: Rehabilitation, Home Health, Respiratory Therapy, Laboratory, Radiology, Intensive Care-Coronary Care, Obstetrics, Surgery, Post-Anesthesia Recovery, Pastoral Care, Patient Services-Patient Education and Emergency Care with 24 hour, in-house coverage. In May 1987 an 80 bed, one story facility was completed to house a nursing home adjoining the Hospital. The facility was then renamed St. Elizabeth Hospital and Health Care Center. In the summer of 1992, St. Elizabeth Hospital and Health Care Center found a need to add another 40-beds to the nursing home. Due to changes in the health care needs a skilled unit was included as part of this addition. In May, 1996, the Franciscan Health System joined up with two other systems to create what is now Catholic Health Initiatives. Through this consolidation, the strength of other's experiences has contributed to a stable foundation that we can build on in these challenging times. During this process, St. Elizabeth Hospital and Health Care Center was renamed St. Elizabeth Health Services. In July of 2003, St. Elizabeth Health Services became a critical access hospital. Currently, we are licensed for 36 beds in the hospital and 60 beds in the Care Center. |
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Copyright 2008 St. Elizabeth Health Services Terms and Conditions Privacy Statement Last updated: October 10, 2008 |
