CHRISTUS ST. Patrick Hospital Reflects on 100 years of Service and Looks Forward to th Future.
THE PAST
When Dr. John Greene Martin arrived in Lake Chares in the 1890’s, he immediately saw the need for a hospital in this booming lumber settlement. In 1906, Dr. Martin, President of the Calcasieu Medical Society, along with Monsignor Hubert Cramers of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, approached the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of what about opening a healthcare facility in the Lake Charles community. Without hesitation, the Sisters agreed to take part in the special project. And so it began… A hospital was constructed for a cost of $30,000. On March 17 of 1908, St. Patrick Sanitarium was dedicated and officially opened its doors. During the first year, one hundred patients were treated; the next year that tripled. As the years went on, St. Patrick Hospital grew both in size and success, and when special needs arose the Sisters and Hospital were there to meet the call. Through two World Wars, the typhoid and polio epidemics, the great depression and several hurricanes, St. Patrick never wavered from its mission. In 1999, the Hospital became affiliated with CHRISTUS Health, becoming CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital. Today, CHRISTUS Health is listed among the top ten Catholic health systems in the U.S. and among the nation's Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Networks.
With each passing decade, St. Patrick Hospital has reached new milestones and has grown to meet the ever changing healthcare needs of the community. Support from the community has always been essential in the Hospital’s progress.
THE PRESENT
Today, we continue our dedication to extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ and improving the health of Southwest Louisiana. While Louisiana focuses on healthcare reform and redesign, so does St. Patrick Hospital. Southwest Louisiana has a high incidence of death from heart disease, cancer, stroke, accidents, lower respiratory disease, and diabetes. Chronic disease is compounded by poor lifestyles that include high-fat diets, smoking and minimal exercise. We believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
THE FUTURE
We seek to raise awareness around health care prevention by encouraging informed lifestyle choices and personal responsibility for wellness and seek to create strong ties between the Hospital and our community. We plan to do this by providing the community with the resources they need to pursue healthier lives. Our goal is to change the culture of heath in Southwest Louisiana to a culture of prevention and wellness. Charitable contributions from the community have also developed strong ties between many families and St. Patrick Hospital. Now more than ever, our Hospital relies on philanthropic support to provide invaluable programs that are critical to our community, says Kay Barnett, Executive Director of Development. Our first 100 years have been extraordinary, and the reason is that there was tremendous community support. No one could have imagined that when a group of sisters opened their small sanitarium in Lake Charles, Louisiana, it would grow into one of the largest, most trusted hospitals in the region. We want the next 100 years to surpass this remarkable effort, utilizing the latest medical advancements for today and into the future as well as the knowledge of the last 100 years.
FOUNDATION BOARD FOCUSES ON HEALTH OF THE COMMUNITY
“Delivering health care services is a complex business, to say the least.” Well said by M.L. Vincent, Jr., Chairman of the CHRISTUS St. Patrick Foundation Board of Directors. Where do we begin to explain the impact that CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital makes in this area? “From the Board’s perspective,” says Vincent, “we represent the Southwest Louisiana area, and our main focus is to work with the Hospital to help direct health care services to our communities.”
In Southwest Louisiana, more than 50,000 people are living without health coverage they need and deserve. For nearly a century, CHRISTUS St. Patrick’s mission has been to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to every patient, regardless of ability to pay, and that mission is vital to the health of this area.
Foundation Board Vice-Chair Bob Chandler says, “We are fortunate to be affiliated with a large faith-based heath care system. As the health system of our nation and our state continues to be challenged by the growing number of people without any form of health insurance, our mission becomes even more critical.”
Since 1999, St. Patrick, which is a non-profit health care facility, has been part of CHRISTUS Health, which is a Catholic, faith-based health system comprised of more than 40 hospitals, inpatient and long-term care facilities, and dozens of clinics and other health care services. CHRISTUS facilities are in more than 60 cities in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Utah, Missouri, Georgia and Mexico. CHRISTUS is among the top ten Catholic health systems in the U.S.
“Our goal is to improve access to primary care and to reduce the use of emergency departments or inpatient care to treat what are often preventable health problems” says Hunter Lundy, development committee chair. To achieve this goal, communities must possess a complete set of essential health care services which can be considered building blocks to assure effective services not only for the uninsured but for everyone.
“For the year ending June, 2007,” says Board director Della Rose, “we provided over $11 million in charity care to thousands of Southwest Louisiana patients who passed through the doors of St. Patrick Hospital and its outpatient services. Over $5 million was provided for patients without insurance and the other $6 million was for the unpaid government-sponsored indigent care.”
Board treasurer Mike Terranova adds, “Additionally, $1.6 million or 9% of the Hospital’s net patient revenue in unbilled community services were returned to our communities through grants, community services, seminars, school-based health clinics and supporting local charities. All these endeavors enhance the community’s health and well-being.”
Retired Kinder teacher Nancy Burleigh says, “Community outreach that is important to me as a board member is CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital’s School-Based Health Centers. The overall goal of the program is to find long-term solutions to students’ health needs through early intervention, diagnosis, and treatment of illnesses and injuries that students may acquire.” Students from pre-school through high school receive a broad range of services including preventative health screenings and immunizations; diagnosis and treatment of illness and injuries; mental health, family counseling and social services; nutrition services and consultation; and referrals to specialty care. The program has centers in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes and has had more than 70,500 visits since its inception. Board member Keith Wimberly reiterates the importance of disease management, which is the systematic process of managing the care of patients with specific diseases or conditions, particularly chronic conditions, across the spectrum of outpatient and ancillary services. The purposes of disease management include reduction in acute episodes, hospitalizations, variations in care, improvement of health outcomes and reduction in costs, and we are working toward those goals. “So moving forward can only mean in this complex business that management of chronic disease will involve education, support and access to proper care, says Wimberly. “Throughout our communities, we will continue to focus on finding innovative solutions and programs that are designed to assist all populations in managing their health and learning to take control of their disease for healthy living.”
