OSF St. Francis Hospital 125th Anniversary

OSF St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group is celebrating 125 years of providing health care to residents of the South/Central Upper Peninsula.

Our history began in 1883, when Rev. Eugene Butterman, OFM, then pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Escanaba, requested that a group of Sisters from the Third Order of Saint Francis in Peoria, Ill., travel to Escanaba to provide health care in Delta County. County officials had built the Delta County Hospital in Escanaba to provide for the community's needs, but found it difficult to keep it sufficiently staffed with qualified nursing personnel. The mayor and the county physician approached Father Butterman to obtain nuns for the nursing staff. In an agreement signed February 12, 1884, the Sisters would conduct the hospital and be paid as nurses by the city of Escanaba.

"The Sisters traveled 370 miles in the dead of winter to provide health care to those in need," said Lanna Scannell, community relations manager for OSF St. Francis. "Their commitment to patients in the South/Central U.P. has continued for 125 years, with a consistent mission: ‘...to serve persons with the greatest care and love...'."

According to historical documents, the Sisters put in long, strenuous days caring for the patients they served. Rising at 5:00 a.m. to pray and work, they cared for patients in the sick room, even transporting them up and down the stairs. The Sisters also did all the housecleaning and maintenance duties for the hospital; cared for a vegetable garden that which provided patients with food; milked the cows; and tended the chickens and pigs. Laundry was done at 2:00 a.m.

Early Finances

The average daily charge per patient for all of these services was 75 cents; about $6 per month. In the days before PPO's, HMO's, Medicare and Medicaid, payment for treatment given didn't include a check from the insurance company, but often items such as eggs, meat, and coffee.

The Sisters also provided an early outreach program, visiting the lumber camps to provide health care to the lumbermen. A horse and buggy transported them as far as the roads permitted. The Sisters then covered the final miles to the lumber camps on foot, carrying supplies.

Purchasing & Expanding the Hospital

At the suggestion of the mayor, the Sisters purchased the Delta County Hospital in 1915, renaming it St. Francis Hospital. The hospital was damaged by fire in 1889 and partially destroyed by another in 1926. The people of Escanaba came to the Sisters' aid to help rebuild a new facility, which included two wings, additional patient rooms and a convent for the Sisters. Historical documents state that over 3,000 people gathered for the dedication Mass in 1927. In 1957 and 1958, the hospital conducted a community fundraising campaign to construct a wing that was added in 1959 at a cost of $1.4 million. Further additions and improvements were made over the years, including improvements to the Special Care Unit in 1973 and the addition of a mammography unit in 1975.

The current hospital building was constructed in 1986. In 1995, the OSF Medical Office Building was added, and an 11-bed kidney dialysis center was built in 2000 with community donations.

Another addition was made to the hospital in 2005 to house permanent Medical Resonance Imaging (MRI) services, made possible through a gift from Mr. and Mrs. John & Melissa Besse. That same year, a public open house was also held for the Hospital's new Cardiac Diagnostic Center. In 2008, the Hospital broke ground on a new $6.4 million Emergency Department & Walk-In Center, scheduled to open in late spring 2009. This gift to our communities was made possible by another generous gift from Mr. and Mrs. John & Melissa Besse.

For 125 years, the Sisters have remained committed to the South/Central Upper Peninsula, providing funding for up-to-date facilities and technology and ensuring quality health care for citizens of the South/Central Upper Peninsula.

As we remember the past and rejoice in the present, we look forward to the future and our continued commitment to providing the highest quality healthcare to the patients we serve.