History of St. John's Hospital
A private home owned by Gustav Willius on Hoffman
Avenue was purchased in 1910 and converted into a 25 bed hospital
- the first St. John's Hospital. The first two floors were for patients
and the third floor provided living quarters for the nurses.
The renovation was made possible with the cooperation
of East Side businessmen, pastors and the Lutheran Synodical Conference
of St. Paul, led by Dr. F.J. Plondke. One method of raising money
was
through the sale of hospital tickets - an early form of pre-payment
for health care.
September 24, 1911
St. John's German Hospital was dedicated. Miss Magdalena Rau was the
first Superintendent and remained with the hospital for 42 years.
October
1, 1911
The first patient, a typhoid fever case, arrived at St. John's Hospital
for treatment.
1918
The hospital turned over to the city during the flu epidemic to care
for charity patients. Within 24 hours, the census jumped from 55 to
138 patients. Thirteen died during the first 12 hours. Nurses were
stricken and Bethesda and St. Joseph's Hospitals sent nurses to assist.
1951
A $1.7 million addition project began.
1956
St. John's developed three specialized nursing units - Limited Care,
General Care and Intensive Care. This concept became known as "progressive
patient care" and soon would develop in other parts of the country.
1961
The hospital celebrated 50 years of service. A survey in 1961 and
a five year study discovered that St. John's Hospital was the dominant
hospital for the East Side of Ramsey County and a substantial part
of Dakota and Washington counties. St. John's was encouraged to expand
its facilities and services to meet the area's needs adequately.
1968
St. John's enlarged the Pharmacy department. Land was purchased for
a satellite hospital and Approval was given to build a 100 bed Extended
Care Unit. The ECF Unit was named for Paul C. Schorr and dedicated
in November.
1969
The hospital had a busy year implementing the following:
1970
A treatment center for chemically addicted patients was added, along
with a Counterweight Program. New amenities included vending areas
and renovated kitchen and dining areas.
1985
St. John's Northeast Hospital was built at its current Maplewood location.
It was a state-of-the-art facility with private rooms. With St. John's
East Side also in operation, St. John's Hospital was considered "one
hospital with two sites."
1986
1994
St. John's Hospital was selected as a Top 100 hospital by Modern Healthcare.
2000
St. John's Hospital completed a major expansion project that included
the emergency department, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, Breast
Care Center, radiation therapy and support services.
2002
To further enhance patient care, the hospital implemented an intensivist
program in the ICU and in-house obstetrics coverage in Maternity Care.
2003
-
The only 24/7 Express Admit Unit in the Twin Cities opened.
-
St. John's achieved a score of 98 from JCAHO (Joint Commission
of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations), now known as the Joint Commission.
2004
-
Solucient names St. John's as one of the Top 100 Hospitals in the U.S.
-
St. John's Hospital launches it's first web site.
-
Our first robotic system, the da Vinci Surgical System, is used for prostatectomies.
-
Former Senator Dave Durenburger speaks about the Governor's task force on healthcare at St. John's first annual Community Business Leaders Breakfast.
2005
2006
2007
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released national data showing St. John’s Hospital as one of the top hospitals in the nation for our outcomes for heart failure mortality rates, which exceeded the national average.
2008
St. John's Hospital received top honors at the White Bear Area Chamber's first-ever Business and Achievement Awards. St. John's received the "Business of the Year" for its many contributions to the local economy in 2007, including creating new jobs and expanding the HealthEast Cancer Care Center. Scott North, CEO of St. John's, accepted the award. The event's keynote speaker was Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.
