St. Joseph's Health is a not-for-profit healthcare network in Central New York. It is anchored by St. Joseph's Health Hospital with 451 inpatient beds, located in the near Northside of Syracuse. Since 2015, St. Joseph's Health has been a division of Trinity Health, a Catholic health system based in Livonia, Michigan.

History

St. Joseph's Health Hospital In the mid-nineteenth century, many German and Irish migrants worked on the Erie and Oswego canals, the railroad, or for salt producers. As the area was growing rapidly, eight Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia came to Syracuse in March 1860 to teach at Assumption School and St. Joseph's in Utica. Later that year, they became a separate community, the Sisters of St. Francis of Syracuse. Working out of St. Anthony's Convent, they soon began to provide at-home care for the sick. In 1869, the sisters purchased the Samsel property on Prospect Hill, a former dance hall and saloon, and on May 6, opened St. Joseph's Hospital, Syracuse's first public hospital. Sister Dominic was in charge, assisted by Sisters Mechtildes, Veronica, Johanna, and Hyacinthe. The hospital had a unique charter for its time; open to caring for the sick without distinction as to nationality, religion, or color.

Mother Marianne Cope served as St. Joe's administrator from 1870 to 1877."Saint Marianne Cope", St. Joseph's Health In 1883 she relocated with six other sisters to Hawaiʻi to care for persons suffering leprosy on the island of Molokaʻi and aid in developing the medical infrastructure in Hawaiʻi. Cope was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012.

In 1871 Geneva Medical College was transferred to Syracuse University. One of the reasons for the move was that Syracuse had a hospital. Many of the city's businessmen and politicians supported the work of the hospital. In 1878 mayor James J. Belden formed a committee of citizens, St. Joseph's Hospital Aid Society, to look after the interests of St. Joseph's. Local businessman John R. Clancy served as financial secretary. Dennis McCarthy followed Theodore Dissel as president; he was later followed by Burns Lyman Smith and Harvey D. Burrill of the Syracuse Journal.Onondaga County Medical Society, 1906-1956: Sesquicentennial, pp. 58-59

The hospital was enlarged in 1882 by an addition, and again in 1896 with the construction of a large annex.Chase, Franklin H., Syracuse and Its Environs, Lewis Historical Pub. Co., Chicago, IL, 1924, pp. 483-485 The new hospital chapel was dedicated May 17, 1897. The school of nursing opened in 1898."Today in History: St. Joseph’s Hospital Opens on Prospect Hill", Onondaga Historical Association The school of nursing opened in 1898. St. Joseph's College of Nursing offers an applied science degree with a major in nursing. A Dual Degree Partnership in Nursing (DDPN) with Le Moyne College allows students to achieve both an associate and a baccalaureate degree in four years.St. Joseph's College of Nursing

In July 1918, St. Joseph's was one of a number of local hospitals providing emergency care to those injured in an explosion of TNT at the munitions factory at Split Rock."Caring Connections", St. Joseph Health Foundation, 2019

In 1969, on its 100th anniversary, St. Joseph's Hospital changed its name to "St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center" to reflect the greater scope of services provided.

In 1971 St. Joseph's appointed its first lay administrator. That same year saw the creation of the Home Health Care Agency. In 1994, St. Joe's instituted a primary care program at a number of off-campus sites.

In April 2016, St. Joseph's added twenty new beds to its critical care unit. In 2016, St. Joseph's settlement with state and federal prosecutors for $3.2 million for employing unlicensed mental health counselors. President and CEO, Kathy Ruscitto, said it was a billing issue arising from "...a misinterpretation of unclear regulations..."

In 2004, the Sisters of St. Francis of Syracuse merged with two other Franciscan congregations to form the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities.

The Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) with 10 beds was added in 2017, so patients with mental health crises may be treated in a specialized environment.

The hospital added a heliport in 2018."St. Joseph's Hospital Heliport 43NY", AirNav.com In April 2020, in response to New York State's directive for hospitals to halt elective surgeries as a COVID-19 precaution, St Joseph's furloughed 500 employees, linking the move to the suspension of outpatient procedures.Mahoney, Joe. "Upstate hospitals cut staffs as elective-surgery halt crimps revenue", Daily Star, April 16, 2020

Saint Joseph's Health In 2015, St. Joseph's Health was acquired by Trinity Health, one of the nation's biggest health systems.Mulder, James T., "St. Joe’s merging with Albany hospital to weather financial effects of Covid", The Post-Standard, syracuse.com, June 29, 2022 On July 1, the sisters transferred sponsorship of St. Joseph Health to Trinity Health's Catholic Health Ministries."St. Joseph's Health in Syracuse, N.Y., joins Trinity Health", Catholic Health Association of the United States, August 1, 2015 St. Joseph's Home Health Care provides care for adults and children with physical and mental health care needs and assure continuity of care for patients discharged from the hospital."Home Care", St. Joseph’s Health St. Joseph's Health-At-Home is based in Liverpool, New York. Its services include a military and veterans health care program.

In February 2019, St. Joseph's Health Cardiovascular Institute opened an office on Oneida Health's campus in Oneida."St. Joseph’s Health Cardiovascular Institute Opens in Oneida", Oneida Health, February 22, 2019

In June 2022, it was announced that St. Joseph's Health would consolidate its administrative functions with Albany's St. Peter's Health Partners to create a single regional operation.Silberstein, Rachel. "Hospital merger will see St. Peter's Health Partners managing Syracuse hospital system", Times Union, July 5, 2022

Affiliates In 2014, Lewis County General Hospital affiliated with St. Joseph's Health.

In 2017, Rome Memorial Hospital became an affiliate of St. Joseph's Health for easier access to specialty care. (In 2021 Rome Memorial Hospital adopted Rome Health as its new name to more accurately reflect the scope of services provided.)

In 2017, Auburn Community Hospital signed an agreement with St. Joseph's Health and the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) which allows for shared services while maintaining their independence. This includes retaining the name "Auburn Community Hospital" (ACH).

References

External links St. Joseph's Health website "Kaufman Hall Advises St. Josephs Syracuse on Joining Trinity Health System", Kaufman Hall

Hunter, Thomas. "Celebrating the glorious history of St. Joseph’s Hospital", The Central New York Business Journal, December 27, 2021