St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
Encyclopedia
St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

 in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is currently operated by Catholic Healthcare West
Catholic Healthcare West
Catholic Healthcare West is a California-based not-for-profit public benefit corporation that operates hospitals in California, Arizona, and Nevada. As such, it is exempt from federal and state income taxes...

 (CHW), one of the largest healthcare systems in the West with 40 hospitals in Arizona, California and Nevada. St. Joseph’s is a 542 bed, not-for-profit hospital that provides a wide range of health, social and support services, with special advocacy for the poor and underserved. It is home to the world renown Barrow Neurological Institute
Barrow Neurological Institute
The Barrow Neurological Institute is a neurological disease treatment and research institution founded in 1961. The main campus is located at 310 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona.- Introduction :...

.

Services

St. Joseph’s is a nationally recognized center for quality tertiary care, medical education and research. It includes the internationally renowned Barrow Neurological Institute
Barrow Neurological Institute
The Barrow Neurological Institute is a neurological disease treatment and research institution founded in 1961. The main campus is located at 310 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona.- Introduction :...

, the Heart & Lung Institute®, and a Level I Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons
American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice.-Membership:...

. The hospital is also a respected center for maternity care, orthopedics, oncology and many other medical services, including:
CENTERS FOR EXCELLENCE

Barrow Neurological Institute

Cardiovascular Center

Center for Thoracic & Esophageal Disease

Center for Thoracic Transplantation

Center for Women's Health

Comprehensive Cancer Center

Heart & Lung Institute
MEDICAL SERVICE

Adolescent Medicine

Case Management

Emergency and Trauma Services

Family Medicine

Gastroenterology

Imaging Services

Internal Medicine

Laboratory Services

Orthopedics

Outpatient Services

Pre-Operative Services

Rehabilitative Services

Research

Surgical Services

History

The Sisters of Mercy came to Phoenix in 1892 to open a parish school. They were successful in that endeavor, but were also affected deeply by the suffering of tuberculosis victims. Realizing the most pressing need of the community, the Sisters expanded their original mission and began fund-raising to be able to establish a sanitarium.

Their efforts paid off. They collected enough money to rent a six-bedroom brick cottage at Fourth and Polk Streets in January 1895. They equipped each room with two beds for tuberculosis patients and created quarters for themselves in the living room. St. Joseph's Sanitarium was born.

Two months later, the Sisters had raised sufficient funds to build a "real hospital." On March 19, 1895, a stake was driven into the ground to mark the site of what would become a hospital housing 24 private rooms that opened onto porches.

Through the years, there were additions to that building, of course, and a devastating fire in 1917, after which the building was reconstructed in just 90 days. The rebuilt facility was adequate for the community for the next 30 years, but the local population was continuing to grow significantly. In 1930, the population of Phoenix was 48,118. By 1945, it had reached nearly 100,000. St. Joseph's Hospital needed a larger facility.

In the mid-1940s, the Sisters purchased 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of land at Third Avenue and Thomas Road which was then part of an old dairy farm. They were criticized for choosing land so far north of the city, literally out in the country. But the Sisters had foresight and a keen understanding of a good business deal. Those 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) cost just $25,000.

In November 1947, a fundraising campaign began to raise money to build the new hospital. The modern, spacious facility opened in July 1953.

St. Joseph's Hospital has thrived at this same location for going on half a century. But there has still been plenty of change in healthcare—in the services provided, in the way business is managed, in the programs that help our community and in the technological advances offered.

Facilities

St. Joseph's Fetal Care Center, which is a division of the Center for Women's Health. It provides care for fetal abnormalities and birth defects, and it is the only such center in Arizona with a surgeon expertly trained in the necessary field. Members of other departments also occasionally come to this center to help treat patients. For example, the Eller Congenital Heart Center takes care of babies having heart problems while the Barrow Pediatric Neurosciences Center has experts in the field of neurological disorders.

St. Joseph's Hospital also has a Lung Transplant Program, which offers transplants to those individuals diagnosed with high-risk lung diseases. The program is offered through the Center of Thoracic Transplantation and has received accreditation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services , previously known as the Health Care Financing Administration , is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer...

 (CMS). On April 13, 2007, the hospital performed the first recorded lung transplant in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

. After that, more than thirty such transplants were conducted by the program.

Barrow Neurological Institute

St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is home to the Barrow neurological institute
Barrow Neurological Institute
The Barrow Neurological Institute is a neurological disease treatment and research institution founded in 1961. The main campus is located at 310 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona.- Introduction :...

 (BNI), a national top-10 program in neurology and neurosurgery. The BNI has the largest neurosurgery residency program in the United States, as of 2010. The current director of the BNI is vascular neurosurgeon Robert F. Spetzler
Robert F. Spetzler
Robert F. Spetzler M.D. is a neurosurgeon and the J.N. Harber Chairman of Neurological Surgery and Director of the Barrow neurological institute in Phoenix, Arizona. Additionally, Spetzler is Professor of Surgery, Section of Neurosurgery, at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson,...

, a position he has held since 1986.

Centers for Clinical Research

CHW currently supports 16 internal Institutional Review Boards providing oversight for more than 1,000 clinical trials across the system. CHW's Human Research Protection Office provides for the regulatory and compliance oversight of all research conducted at CHW.

CHW is committed to ensuring that research is done so ethically, safely and efficiently, in addition to supporting the development of research activities conducted by physicians and research investigators across the system.

Research volunteers are an integral part of the clinical research process (often referred to as clinical trials). People participating in clinical trials have access to experimental medications or devices before they become available to the general public. Research volunteers may receive careful medical attention including examinations and tests at no cost. In some cases, research volunteers may be reimbursed for time and expenses, such as travel. Some people like the idea that they are contributing to medical science. Participation is not without risks however. The risks and possible side effects specific to the clinical trial are listed in the informed consent form and discussed by the research team before you enter the trial.

Awards

St. Joseph's is known for excellence in patient care, medical education, research, and as an employer of choice. Please see below for awards that St. Joseph's has received.
2011
  • Arizona Magazine named St. Joseph's as a Top 25 Workplace for Women
  • Phoenix Business Journal named St. Joseph's in the Valley's Healthiest Employers
  • St. Joseph's received the CEO Cancer Gold Standard Accreditation
  • The American Heart Association recognized St. Joseph's as a Start! Fit-Friendly Company
  • Received AZBusiness Magazine’s Health Care Leadership Merit Award
  • Awarded Avatar International’s Gold Innovation Award for patient satisfaction
  • Recognized as one of Arizona’s Most Admired Companies by AZBusiness Magazine

2010
  • U.S. News & World Report ranks St. Joseph’s #8 in the nation for neurology and neurosurgery
  • Modern Healthcare named St. Joseph's as one of the 100 Best Places to Work
  • Arizona Business Magazine recognized St. Joseph's as a most admired company

2009
  • Thomson Reuters recognized St. Joseph's in the 100 Top Hospitals: Cardiovascular Benchmark Award winners
  • U.S. News & World Report ranks St. Joseph’s #9 in the nation for neurology and neurosurgery
  • St. Joseph’s is named the Best Place to Work in the extra large company category by The Phoenix Business Journal; St. Joseph’s is the only Valley hospital to be named to the list for six consecutive years
  • Ranking Arizona named St. Joseph’s #1 in the category of best large hospital
  • The Arizona Republic and Arizona Woman Magazine recognized St. Joseph’s as a Top 25 Workplace for Women in Arizona
  • Modern Healthcare named Linda Hunt one of the Top 25 Women in Healthcare for 2009

2008
  • Ranking Arizona named St. Joseph’s #1 in the category of acute-care hospitals with more than 385 beds
  • Arizona Woman Magazine listed St. Joseph’s as one of the top 25 workplaces for women
  • Thomson Reuters recognized St. Joseph’s as a top 100 hospital in its 100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success; St. Joseph's has been honored more than any other Arizona hospital
  • St. Joseph’s is named one of the Best Places to Work by The Business Journal; St. Joseph’s is the only Valley hospital to be named to the list five years running
  • U.S. News & World Report ranks St. Joseph’s #9 in the category of neurology and neurosurgery
  • St. Joseph’s is named a best place to work by Phoenix Magazine.

Controversies

The hospital in late 2009 had as a patient a mother of four who was 11 weeks pregnant and suffering from a severe case of pulmonary hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension
In medicine, pulmonary hypertension is an increase in blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, or pulmonary capillaries, together known as the lung vasculature, leading to shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, and other symptoms, all of which are exacerbated by exertion...

. Doctors estimated that her chance of dying if she continued the pregnancy was "close to 100 percent". An ethics board approved an abortion to save the life of the mother, even though the hospital was Catholic and within the Diocese of Phoenix. A religious sister, Sister Margaret Mary McBride, who was a vice president at the hospital and who concurred in the decision, was later excommunicated. The case stirred intense debate from within and outside the area.

The Bishop of Phoenix, Thomas J. Olmsted
Thomas J. Olmsted
Thomas Olmsted is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fourth and current Bishop of Phoenix, having previously served as Bishop of Wichita from 2001 to 2003.-Early life:...

, asked Catholic Healthcare West to provide a moral analysis of the case. He later issued a decree on 21 December 2010 revoking the hospital's affiliation with the Catholic Church, after months of discussion had failed to induce the hospital management to refuse to perform similar abortions in the future. Olmsted wrote that he could not verify that the hospital provides health care consistent with "authentic Catholic moral teaching."
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