new heritage wall - SSM Health Care

Our Beginnings
“Continue courageously for the love of God.”
• Mother Mary Odilia Berger
On November 16, 1872, Mother Mary Odilia Berger and five companion
sisters arrived in St. Louis from Bavaria with only five dollars among them.
Their dream was to serve God by caring for those who were poor, sick
and suffering.
Mother Odilia walked from door to door with her small basket, collecting
food for her companions. In turn, the sisters would carry their baskets to
take food to the families for whom they provided nursing care.
Smallpox became an epidemic. The sisters rang a bell to warn others of
their contact with the disease. So intimately did they become associated
with this disease, that they became known as the “Smallpox Sisters.”
Copyright Franciscan Sisters of Mary. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Mother Mary Odilia Berger, founder of the Sisters of
St. Mary, now known as the Franciscan Sisters of Mary
In 1873, Sr. Mary Elizabeth Becker and two
companions came to St. Charles to care for smallpox
and cholera victims at the request of the Reverend
Edward Koch, pastor of St. Peter Church. The sisters
returned to St. Louis in 1876.
Epidemics came and went. In 1879, diphtheria
presented, and Sr. Mary Elizabeth and four sisters
returned to St. Charles. In 1884, scarlet fever, diphtheria
and cholera were raging, so again, a request came from
the pastor.
Residents of St. Charles now knew they needed a
more permanent arrangement for health care. Franz
Schulte was grateful to the sisters for having nursed
his son through diphtheria and offered his home at
305 Chauncey Street to the sisters to start a hospital.
They arrived back in St. Charles on November 4, 1885.
Courtesy of SSM Corporate Archives.
Sister Mary Elizabeth Becker, first administrator of
St. Joseph Hospital.
Tuberculosis cases steadily rose, and Sr. Mary Elizabeth Becker
contracted the disease and died on April 11, 1890.
In August of 1891, St. Joseph Hospital was dedicated. SSM St. Joseph
Health Center remains on the original site.
Our wonderful history is reflected in the five core values we hold
dear — excellence, respect, stewardship, community and compassion.
Mother Odilia reminded the sisters: “Continue courageously for the
love of God.” We continue this heritage of healing as revealed in our
mission: “Through our exceptional health care services, we reveal the
healing presence of God.”
“I am inspired daily, not only by our mission and values, but by our
employees and physicians and the people we serve. Sr. Francine Burkert
once said, ‘We can’t always cure. But we can always care.’ Her words
can inspire our actions every single day.”
• Sr. Mary Jean Ryan, FSM, President/CEO, SSM Health Care
1930s -1940s
Postcard of St. Joseph Hospital, 1930s (facing First Capitol Drive, formerly Clay Street)
Main Street, St. Charles,
Missouri, late 1800s
Basket carried by Founder Mother Mary
Odilia Berger to distribute and receive
supplies for her sisters as they cared for
patients in their homes.
Lamp given to the founding
Sisters of St. Mary, now known
as the Franciscan Sisters of Mary,
by an observant neighbor who
noticed they had no lights in
their home.
Nursery, 1930s. Post World War II saw a boost of business in the obstetrical
department as the “baby boomer” era began. A 1945 addition boasted a third floor
reserved for obstetric patients, complete with a delivery room, labor room
and nursery.
Missouri History Museum,
St. Louis.
Copyright Franciscan Sisters of Mary.
All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
The bread is symbolic to our organization.
The sisters provided for others; the Lord
provided for them.
Copyright Franciscan Sisters of Mary.
All rights reserved. Reprinted with
permission.
305 Chauncey Street, St. Charles
Hospital Entrance and Lobby, 1947
In 1945, a new wing was constructed on the north side of the hospital
campus, adding 40 beds and including wards with oxygen available at
the patient’s bedside.
1880s -1890s 1900s -1920s
St. Peter Church in the late 1800s. The church
provided loans and donations to help with the
building of St. Joseph Hospital.
On August 12, 1891, a new
hospital was dedicated.
St. Joseph Hospital was a
two-story brick structure
located across the street
from St. Peter Church.
Dr. Benjamin Geret,
1887, performed
St. Joseph Hospital’s
first known operation
— a cholecystectomy,
or gallbladder removal.
First page of logbook, 1887, in German.
Translation:
1887
(Patient name removed) from
St. Peters, German, Catholic,
operation for pain from cancer
(undisclosed location) treated by
Dr. Geret, recovering 3 weeks
(Patient name removed) from
Detroit, German, nervous fever,
Dr. Geret, recovering 3 weeks
1888
(Patient name removed) from
St. Charles, German, Catholic, fever,
Dr. Bruer, recovering 7 weeks
(Patient name removed) from
St. Peters, German, Catholic, fever,
Dr. Blanek, recovering 4 weeks
In 1903, Dr. Frank Tainter was the first
surgeon at St. Joseph Hospital. The
operating table was in the pharmacy;
the instruments, gloves and brushes
were boiled on the kitchen stove and
sterile gowns and linens were brought
from St. Mary’s Infirmary.
The Thimble Club, formed in 1900, focused on volunteer service at the hospital. It was
the forerunner of the Women’s Auxiliary, which was founded in 1935.
Pharmacy, 1947
Solarium, 1947
The Chapel, 1947
Patient bill, 1896
(Patient name removed) from
St. Peters, German, Catholic, arm
removed Dr. Morgener, recovering
4 weeks
(Patient name removed) German,
Catholic, senility, Dr. Mudd, recovering
11 days
Radiology, 1920s
Nursing summary, 1891-1897
The Stumberg house, which was built
by Dr. Stumberg’s father in 1869, still
stands on the hospital property and
is on the National Register of Historic
Places. Dr. Stumberg used part of the
home as his office.
In 1904, a two-story, 50-bed addition to the hospital was completed.
The addition included an operating room and serving kitchen.
Another new wing was built in 1924,
adding 21 more beds as well as
clinical facilities and the first elevator.
Several patient rooms had lavatories
and one had a complete bathroom.
The wing was built off the east side
of the original building.
Laboratory, 1947
Dr. Kurt Stumberg, 1891, first Chief of
Staff at St. Joseph Hospital
1847: The American Medical 1849: Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to receive a
Association was founded. medical degree at an American college (Geneva
Medical College), although her name was not
mentioned in the commencement program.
1854: Florence Nightingale and a staff of 1857: The National Deaf Mute College (later
38 nurses were sent to the Crimean War. renamed Gallaudet University) was established
in Washington, DC, becoming the first school
for the advanced education of the deaf.
1864: Rebecca Lee became the first black
woman to receive a US medical degree,
from the New England Female Medical
College in Boston.
1867: Joseph Lister developed antiseptic surgical methods, using carbolic acid to clean
wounds and surgical instruments. In one hospital that adopted his methods, deaths
from infection decreased from nearly 60 percent to just 4 percent.
1879: Louis Pasteur demonstrated value of
vaccine to protect sheep against anthrax.
1882-3: Microorganisms are found to be responsible
for tuberculosis, cholera and diphtheria.
1890: Effective diphtheria
antitoxin developed.
1893: Johns Hopkins University Medical
School, the first modern American
1897: Aspirin was invented in Germany. 1906: Typhoid fever was on the rise. 1913: American
Cancer Society
1915: American Heart
Association was
medical school, opened in Baltimore.
was founded.
founded.
1918-19: Influenza pandemic deaths
worldwide are estimated between
30 and 50 million; 675,000 in
the United States.
1921: Heart disease named the
leading cause of death in
the United States.
1927: Cancer named one of the
top three causes of death
in the United States.
1930: Researchers discover riboflavin, or
vitamin B2.
1941: First clinical trials of penicillin showed remarkable
ability to cure life-threatening infections.
1848: St. Peter Church was built.
1870: The population of St. Charles was 6,000. There were
18 dry goods stores, 10 grocery stores, four cigar stores,
three tin stores, three gunsmiths, two harness makers,
five wagon makers, seven blacksmiths, five flour mills,
three billiard saloons, a stone jail and 10 churches.
1873: The Sisters of St. Mary came to St. Charles
during the height of the smallpox epidemic.
1884: Scarlet fever
and diphtheria
epidemic in
St. Charles.
1885: First hospital in St. Charles County,
St. Joseph Hospital, opened at
305 Chauncey Street.
1891: St. Joseph Hospital, a new 28-bed,
red brick structure, opened across
from St. Peter Church.
1896: The first baby was born
at St. Joseph Hospital.
1900: Hospital installs
first telephone.
1903: Hospital gets
first “real”
operating table
donated.
1904: Dr. Kurt Stumberg purchases
hospital’s first “blood testing”
machine.
1910: Hospital, for the first time,
employs registered pharmacists.
1915: Hospital acquires first
X-ray equipment.
1920: The hospital admits 3,778 patients
this year – 1,802 charity, 972 part-pay
and 1,004 full pay.
1924: A new wing with 21 beds, clinical
facilities and an elevator was added
to the hospital.
1935: St. Joseph Hospital Auxiliary was founded. 1945: New, four-story wing opened at a
cost of $200,631 including equipment
and furnishings. “Bell boxes” replaced
with an electrical call light system
throughout the St. Joseph Hospital.
1947: The St. Charles
Clinic was founded.

1970s
1950s -1960s
1980s
The Physical Therapy Department at
St. Joseph Hospital was established in 1961.
Postcard of St. Joseph Hospital, 1950s
Admissions, 1950s
The second phase of the “C” wing expansion was the “D” wing, which was added to the north
side. The new wing included housekeeping, central service, administration and five patient
care floors.
The hospital’s main entrance on Third Street, 1973. A two-level parking
garage was added on the other side of Third Street that year.
Aerial photo of hospital campus, 1974
Construction on the “E” wing began in 1981 and
was completed in 1983. The new area included
emergency, surgery, lab and intensive care.
Aerial view of the campus in the early 1980s. The hospital first was
designated as a Level II Trauma Center in 1981, and has held the
designation since.
Radiology, 1960s
In 1982, the hospital’s name
officially changed to
St. Joseph Health Center.
Pictured is Bill Schoenhard,
the hospital’s Executive
Director from 1982-1987.
St. Joseph’s newsletter
chronicled the “B” wing
expansion in 1977.
The 1924 and 1945
hospital structures
were remodeled,
expanded and named
the “B” wing.
In 1985, St. Joseph participated in a St. Charles parade with a float
that celebrated its centennial year.
The new Odilian Gift Shop, located off the lobby, boasted expanded space, merchandise
and fundraising potential.
The “A” wing along Second Street was completed in 1961.
This six-story addition was entirely air-conditioned. The wing
included 76 beds for medical and surgical patients, delivery and
labor rooms, a modern surgical suite, recovery room, radiology,
laboratory, laundry and power plant.
Mass in the Chapel at St. Joseph Hospital.
Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital’s “Glennon Adolescent and Pediatric
Unit” opened at St. Joseph Health Center in 1982.
In 1969, the “C” wing was dedicated, completing the first part of
a two-phase expansion that started in 1966. The new wing was a
five-story structure housing the emergency and radiology
departments, pharmacy, intensive care unit, patient area, chapel
and cafeteria. The third floor had an additional 18 patient beds,
bringing the hospital’s total capacity to 205 beds.
The hospital’s first cardiac catheterization laboratory and special procedures
area opened in 1986. The lab offered multiple forms of invasive cardiac
test procedures to determine the severity, location and degree of possible
heart problems.
Nurses inspect state-of-the-art cardiac monitoring equipment
in a new intensive care unit, which opened in 1969.
St. Joseph Health Center became the first hospital in the area
to introduce birthing rooms—a new concept in obstetrics that
offered a relaxed atmosphere and the convenience of a one-room
procedure in birthing.
St. Joseph Hospital Laundry, 1960s
St. Joseph Hospital in 1961. The house in the photograph was owned by three
siblings. All three attended St. Peter Church across the street, did not drive and
had jobs on Main Street so they could walk to work.
When first approached by the hospital, they didn’t want to sell, but later agreed
to move if the hospital could find and purchase them a home nearby. A home was
purchased for them in the 300 block of Madison Street.
When the hospital later needed that home for the “C” wing expansion, another
home was purchased for them at 330 Tompkins Street.
St. Joseph Health Center’s first Medical Office Building opened in
1988. Physician specialists moved their offices into the building,
providing convenience for both physicians and patients.
On December 15, 1986, St. Joseph
Hospital West opened in Lake
Saint Louis.
1950: Canadian John Hopps
invented world’s first
cardiac pacemaker.
1953: First successful open heart surgery
using heart-lung machine performed at
Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia.
1954: First successful kidney
transplant was performed
in Boston.
1956: American Cancer
Society links
cigarette smoking
to lung cancer.
1957: Ultrasound was invented by the
English physician Ian Donald.
1960: National Lung Association
launched an antismoking campaign
with the message, “Kick the Habit.”
1963: First liver transplant
performed.
1964: First vaccine for
measles.
1965: Congress passes legislation creating Medicare and Medicaid.
Congress passes law requiring label on cigarette packages:
“Warning: Cigarette Smoking may be Hazardous to your Health.”
1967: World’s first human heart transplant performed by
Christiaan Barnard in Cape Town, South Africa.
First coronary bypass operation using person’s vein
performed in Ohio.
1970: Pediatric respirator greatly reduced
infant mortality for babies with
respiratory problems.
1973: CAT scan invented by
Godfrey Hounsfield
and Allan Cormack.
1974: Chicken pox vaccine established.
Raymond Damadian, American physician, was granted a patent on
his invention of the magnetic resonance imaging device.
1977: First vaccine for
pneumonia.
1981: First vaccine
for hepatitis B.
1982: First heart and lung
transplant performed.
1983: HIV, the virus that causes AIDS,
was identified.
1987: First brain tissue
transplant performed.
1988: Patricia Bath became the first African-
American woman doctor to receive a
patent for a medical invention.
1951: St. Louis population began migrating westward
to St. Louis County and St. Charles County.
1956: The hospital employed
200 and payroll was
$412,000; 21 Sisters
contributed services.
1957: Hospital opened pediatric unit.
1959: Blanchette Memorial Bridge opened,
carrying Interstate 70 traffic across the
Missouri River between St. Louis County
and St. Charles County.
1961: Six-story,
air-conditioned
east wing opened.
1962: Population of St. Charles
was 21,289.
1966: Ground breaking for the first
phase (First Capitol addition) of
a seven-year building program.
1969: Original 1891 hospital building vacated
after the “C” wing was completed.
1972: First patient admitted to new
150-bed “D” wing.
1974: Pastoral Care Department was established. 1976: Extensive modernization and
1978: St. Joseph Hospital adds oncology and
renovation began throughout
orthopedic units.
the hospital.
Hospital’s “B” wing added 71 more beds.
1980: St. Joseph Perinatal
Clinic opened.
1981: St. Joseph received
state-designation as a
Level II Trauma Center.
1982: St. Joseph Hospital name changed
to St. Joseph Health Center.
1984: Heliport added outside
Emergency Department entrance.
1986: St. Joseph Hospital
West opened.
1987: St. Joseph performed its
first open heart surgery.

1990s
SSM Health Care purchased
the St. Charles Clinic in 1994
and renamed it SSM St. Charles
Clinic Medical Group.
SSM St. Joseph Health Center Presidents
The Harmon Institute for Heart and Lung
Rehabilitation opened in 1999.
Sister Mary Isadore Boland, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1894-1902
(photo not available)
The St. Joseph Breast Center opened in 1991.
The Center brought all the mammography
services together in one location. As a result,
a mammography exam could be completed in
one hour.
St. Joseph Health Center became
the first health care facility in the
three-county area to offer magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) services.
The second Medical Office Building opened in 1999, enabling
more physicians to move their offices on campus.
Sister Mary Elizabeth Becker, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1885-1890
Sister Mary Clara Harbers, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1890-1894
Sister Mary Dominica Sanders, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1902-1908
(photo not available)
Sister Mary Petronilla Mueller, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1908-1916
Sister Mary Veronica Roesler, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1916-1921
Sister Mary Columba Heyden, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1921-1922
Sister Mary Alexia Koehne, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1922-1928
A new gallbladder procedure — laparoscopic cholecystectomy
— began at the hospital in 1991. Four small incisions were made
in the skin; a video scope was inserted in one of the incisions
and miniature instruments were inserted in the other three.
Aerial view of SSM
St. Joseph Health
Center campus, 1994
The Outpatient Surgery Center
opened in 1995. The new facility
boasted separate admitting,
surgery preparation, family
waiting and recovery areas.
The hospital’s first linear accelerator was installed in 1996 in
the radiation oncology suite. Among other procedures, the
accelerator could treat cancerous scalp tissues while sparing
the underlying brain tissue.
Sister Mary Bernadette Hogan, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1928-1932
Sister Mary Benedict Kuyven, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1932-1938
Sister Mary Adolphine Schoenig, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1938-1941
Sister Mary Marcelline Kollmeyer, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1941-1944
Sister Mary Josetta Witte, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1944-1947
Sister Mary Carmelita Renz, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1947-1949
Sister Mary Bernardine
Hamnauer, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1949-1955
Sister Mary Athanasia Brune, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1955-1958
Sister Mary Sebastian Book, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1958-1964
Sister Mary Henrica Strassmann, SSM
Hospital Administrator
1964-1967
Sister Mary Francis Clare Brown, SSM
Executive Director
1967-1971
Robert J. Coleman
Executive Director
1971-1981
Douglas A. Ries
Interim Executive Director
1981-1982
William C. Schoenhard
Executive Director
1982-1987
2000-2010
SSM Health Care was
the first health care
organization to receive
the prestigious Malcolm
Baldrige National
Quality Award in 2002.
Marty Strussion
President
1987-1989
Kevin F. Kast
Executive Director
1989-1994
Kurt Weinmeister
President
1994-1998
Kevin F. Kast
President, CEO
1998-2005
Paul Convery, M.D.
Interim President
2005
Sherlyn Hailstone
President
2005-2008
Gaspare Calvaruso
President
2008
SSM St. Joseph Medical Park, a 100,000 square-foot
ambulatory care center and physician office building,
opened in St. Peters in 2004.
SSM St. Joseph Health Center’s lobby was
remodeled in 2004.
SSM Health Care purchased Crossroads Regional Hospital in
Wentzville in 2005 and changed the name to SSM St. Joseph
Health Center-Wentzville.
St. Joseph Health Center received the Missouri Quality
Award in 2005, the Premier Award for Heart Attack
Care in 2007, the Premier Award for Quality in 2008
and the American Heart Association/American Stroke
Association Gold Performance Achievement Award
for Stroke in 2009 and 2010.
The cafeteria was renovated and Odilia’s
opened in 2008.
1957
1969
1973
In 2009, SSM Health Care
received the Diversity
Leader Award from the
Human Resources
Management Association
of Greater St. Louis. The
Diversity Council at SSM
St. Joseph Health Center
holds programs throughout
the year to celebrate our
diverse workforce.
The SSM St. Joseph Auxiliary received the
Missouri Hospital Association’s Auxiliary of
the Year Award in 2009.
1982
Early 1990s
A new ICU opened in 2010.
2009
St. Joseph Health Center
1995
A new, state-of-the-art
Cardiac Catheterization Lab
opened in 2010.
Phase 1 of the new Emergency Department
was completed in 2010.
1992: First vaccine for hepatitis A. 1993: Intravenous Catheter Shield invented by
St. Louisans Betty Rozier and Lisa Vallino.
1996: Dolly, a sheep, is the first mammal
to be cloned from an adult cell.
1998: First vaccine for lyme disease.
2000: First draft of mapping of the United States
Human Genome Project completed.
2007: Scientists discovered how to use human skin cells to create embryonic stem cells.
The first procedure using robotic-assisted technology was performed in the U.S.
2009: The World Health Organization declared the H1N1 influenza
(commonly known as “swine flu”) as a pandemic.
1990: First brain surgery performed with
a laser in St. Charles County takes
place at St. Joseph Health Center.
1991: The population of St. Charles County
was 218,600 and growing rapidly.
1993: The Great Flood of ’93 occurred
along the Mississippi and Missouri
Rivers in St. Louis and St. Charles,
devastating residents.
1994: SSM Health Care acquired the St. Charles
Clinic, the largest multi-specialty medical
group in St. Charles County.
1995: St. Joseph Health Center opened the area’s first
fully monitored Sleep Disorders Laboratory.
1997: The St. Louis Health Care Network becomes
SSM Health Care – St. Louis; the hospital’s official
name becomes SSM St. Joseph Health Center.
1999: SSM Health Care adopted a new mission
statement for the entire system – “Through
our exceptional health care services, we reveal
the healing presence of God.”
2001: St. Joseph Health Center was awarded
first MissouriPRO Quality Award.
2002: SSM Health Care was the first health care organization in the country
to receive the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
2004: St. Joseph Medical Park opened
in St. Peters, offering full-service
outpatient services.
2005: The American Stroke Association recognized
the hospital as a “Get With the Guidelines”
stroke center.
2006: SSM purchased SSM St. Joseph Health Center-Wentzville, an
existing hospital that had served residents in western St. Charles,
Lincoln, Montgomery, and Warren counties since 1987.
2010: A new $4.6 million ICU opened at St. Joseph
Health Center – including 14 private rooms and
five “step-down” beds.
SSM St. Joseph Health Center celebrated its
125th Anniversary.