Saint Mary's Health Care History

1893 - The Sisters of Mercy establish Saint Mary's Hospital with 15 patient beds in the former McNamara home at 145 south Lafayette.

1898 - Saint Mary's Hospital Training School for Nurses opens.

1898 - A three-story addition is added to the hospital, doubling the number of beds to 30. Cost $10,000.

1911 - A new 75-bed hospital is build at the corner of Cherry and Lafayette streets at a cost of $65,000.

1914 - X-ray Department opens.

1918 - Laboratory Department opens.

1919 - Outpatient Clinic opens.

1926 - $650,000 expansion, now the center portion of the McAuley Building, increases beds capacity to 220.

1935 - Nursing schools from Mercy Hospitals in Bay City and Muskegon merge with Saint Mary's Hospital School to establish Mercy Central School of Nursing, headquartered at Saint Mary's

1953 - The south wing of the McAuley Building is added, raising the number of beds to 358.

1962 - Xavier Hall opens to house the Mercy Central School of Nursing.

1963 - Short stay Medical Surgical Unit established.

1965 - Inhalation Therapy Department opens.

1965 - Ambulatory Care Unit opens.

1965 - Saint Mary's announces a plan for new facilities in the Washington Square Urban Renewal Area to meet future development needs.

1967 - Saint Mary's opens its Hemodialysis Unit.

1970 - Construction begins on a seven year, four-phase hospital expansion.

1971 - Physicians and friends create the Doran Foundation for Medical Education and Research to fund hospital projects in honor of Dr. Frank Doran.

1972 - Phase II building of the Professional Office Building begins.

1972 - Lentini Health Center opens.

1973 - Saint Mary's becomes the principal sponsor of a community-wide family practice residency program and takes responsibility for developing a model Family Health Center.

1973 - The new South Building opens; total cost of project is $15.5 million.

1974 - The Professional Office Building opens; total cost of project is $2.54 million.

1977 - Phase IV of the hospital is completed. Total bed capacity stands at 370.

1982 - Grant Hospital merges with Saint Mary's Community Health Care System.

1983 - The Cancer Program and the Breast Center at Saint Mary's are established.

1984 - The hospital opens its new, single-story Rehabilitation Services addition.

1985 - Saint Mary's first Health Park begins operation in Wyoming.

1986 - The Michigan Athletic Club joins Saint Mary's Community Health Care System.

1987 - Amicare Home Health Resources is added to Saint Mary's Community Health Care System.

1987 - Care Choices HMO coverage begins.

1988 - Saint Mary's opens Heartside Clinic.

1989 - The hospital opens a satellite kidney dialysis unit in Zeeland, Michigan.

1989 - Saint Mary's establishes an HIV clinic as part of Heartside health services.

1990 - Saint Mary's opens Clinica Santa Maria at the Hispanic Center of West Michigan.

1990 - The Regional Cancer Center is opened in Saint Mary's Medical Office Building.

1990 - McAuley Clinic for HIV/AIDS opens at 550 Cherry Street SE.

1990 - In a joint venture with Pine Rest Christian Hospital, Saint Mary's opens its highly innovative Psychiatric Medical Unit. The 20-bed unit serves patients whose primary diagnosis is psychiatric, but who also have a concurrent medical problem.

1990 - Saint Mary's dedicates the Living Center, a 207 bed nursing facility.

1991 - Saint Mary's opens its Giggle & Grow Child Care Center.

1991 - Saint Mary's performs its 500th kidney transplant and is rated one of the top 50 kidney transplant centers in the nation.

1992 - Saint Mary's Spine Center opens.

1992 - Renovation of outpatient surgery, pre-admission testing and operating rooms is completed.

1993 - The hospital's Regional Dialysis and Kidney Transplant Center celebrates its 20th anniversary as well as its 600th transplant. Saint Mary's remains the only area hospital with organ transplant capabilities.

1993 - Saint Mary's Breast Center celebrates its 10th year anniversary. As of September, 1993 the Center has performed 100,000 mammograms.

1994 - Saint Mary's Health Services employs around the clock intensivists. Created inpatient and outpatient psychiatric units at Kent Community Hospital.

1995 - CEO Nancy Hart resigns and David Ameen is brought aboard.

1995 - The construction of the Peter M. Wege Center for Health & Learning begins as a result from major funding from the family of Peter M. Wege. Cost $16.1 million.

1996 - Construction of future site of Clinica Santa Maria begins on the corner of Franklin and Grandville. Construction funds are provided through $1.1 million in charitable gifts.

1996 - Completion of the Kidney Dialysis Unit renovations.

1997 - Expansion of Advantage Health Primary Care facilities throughout Grand Rapids.

1997 - Creation of the Browning Claytor Health Center at the corner of Madison and Hall. Named in honor of two outstanding African American physicians who provided care in the Grand Rapids area in the 1930's. Again, creation of the center was provided through $1 million in charitable gifts.

1997 - Mary Free Bed and Saint Mary's form a joint venture to provide rehabilitation services.

1997 - Certificate of Need is received from the Michigan Department of Community Health to execute a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for Saint Mary's Health Services.

1997 - The 310 Lafayette Building is opened.

1997 - Grand opening of the Clinica Santa Maria on the corner of Franklin and Grandville.

1998 - 98% approval rating received from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations evaluation.

1998 - Grand opening of the Peter M. Wege Center for Health & Learning.

1998 - Saint Mary's begins planning renovations in the maternity department.

1999 - Saint Mary's Health Services changes the organization's name to Saint Mary's Health Care.

1999 - Saint Mary's Health Care receives a $10 million dollar challenge grant from the family of John P. Lacks and Richard J. Lacks, Sr. to build a cancer hospital.

1999 - CEO David Ameen resigns and Joyce Helms is assigned as interim CEO.

1999 - Purchased Sparta Family Health Center. The new center provides health care to migrant workers as well as the year round community.

1999 - East Hills Athletic Club and Orchard Hills Athletic Clubs are purchased.

2000 - CEO search is successful and Philip H. McCorkle Jr. is hired as President and CEO of Saint Mary's Health Care.

2000 - Browning Claytor permanent site is opened.

2000 - 2 MRI's and a Linear Accelerator are installed in Radiation Oncology.

2000 - The Doran Foundation is re-incorporated and renamed the Saint Mary's Doran Foundation for Charitable Gifts.

2000 - The Emergency Department undergoes a major upgrade to improve quality of care to patients of Saint Mary's.

2001 - Permission is granted to raze the McAuley Building to make way for the Richard J. Lacks, Sr. Cancer Hospital.

2002 - McAuley Building is demolished