Not affiliated with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee
St. Jude Medical Center is a faith-based, not-for-profit hospital, located in Fullerton, California. Established by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange in 1957, the 320-bed acute-care medical center has earned a reputation for clinic excellence and award-winning care.
The hospital's 670-physician medical staff includes nearly every specialty and subspecialty, while its highly skilled nurses, technologists, therapists and support staff offer a certification and advanced degree rate that significantly exceeds national averages. In addition to neurointerventional and cardiac catheterization labs and a Level-III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, St. Jude Medical Center offers specialized critical care units staffed 24/7 by board-certified intensivists.
St. Jude is one of a few hospitals in the nation to be recognized by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center, a designation used to identify hospitals who consistently meet quality and time-standards in treating stroke and cerebrovascular disease. The medical center is also among the eight percent of U.S. hospitals to receive Magnet Designation for nursing excellence. Part of the St. Joseph Health System, St. Jude Medical Center serves as a quaternary and referral center for a variety of patient services, including one of California's only accredited programs in spinal cord injury, brain injury, and comprehensive stroke rehabilitation. Other areas of specialty include: high- and low-risk maternity, digestive diseases and GI surgery, orthopedics and joint replacement, neurosciences, women's health, rehabilitation, cardiac care, robotic and minimally-invasive surgery, and cancer care.
In 2014, the hospital opened the $255 million Northwest Tower, which along with the Southwest Tower built several years earlier, created beautifully-designed, private patient rooms. Key areas of expansion included three entire floors dedicated to maternity services and another floor encompassing 14 "smart" surgical suites, including a "hybrid" cardiovascular suite with robotic c-arm imaging, and a dedicated neurosurgery suite with intraoperative MRI. Additional surgical technology includes da Vinci surgical robots as well as the superDimension robotic system for lung cancer treatment.
Awards
- Magnet Designation, the nation's highest accolade for nursing excellence, awarded by the American Nursing Credentialing Center
- Outstanding Achievement Award by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancerâ€"earned by only five percent of nation's hospitals
- Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center designation by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, a certification given to less than 3 percent of U.S. hospitals that recognizes the significant differences in expertise, resources and training necessary for the treatment of complex stroke.
- Highest rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for outcomes during open-heart and minimally-invasive approaches to coronary bypass surgeryâ€"awarded to fewer than 15 percent of U.S. hospitals
- One of two hospitals in Orange County to receive three-year accreditation from the American College of Surgeons National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC)
Specialty Centers of Care
- The Virginia K. Crosson Cancer Institute
- Ann G. Fetters Diagnostic Imaging Center
- The St. Jude Centers for Rehabilitation and Wellness
- The Kathryn T. McCarty Breast Center
- Fred A. Jordan Radiation Oncology Center
- The St. Jude Neurosciences Institute
- Center for Thoracic and Esophageal Diseases
- The St. Jude Knott Family Endoscopy Center
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
- Cardiac Services
- Sleep Center
- Chronic Pain Program
- Synergy Medical Fitness Center
- St. Jude Advanced Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine
- Maternity Services, including Fetal Diagnostic Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Minimally-invasive and robotic surgery
- Women's health, including advanced gynecological care
Affiliations
St. Jude Medical Center is one of three St. Joseph Health hospitals in Orange County â€" each founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orangeâ€"part of a 14-hospital system within the western United States that includes outpatient services, fetal diagnostic center, as well as inpatient services. In 2014, a partnership with Hoag Hospital created an integrated health system called St. Joseph Hoag Health.
St. Jude Medical Center and St. Jude Heritage Medical Group, a 160-physician multi-specialty physician group exclusively affiliated with the hospital, offer comprehensive, integrated care â€"from routine and preventive services to specialized surgical careâ€"to north Orange County and southern Los Angeles County residents.
History
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet began operating their first hospital in Eureka, California in 1919 as a response to the Spanish Flu epidemic. The Order moved its mother house to Orange County in 1922. They acquired Fullerton General Hospital, a historic facility designed by Frederick Eley, in 1931, but it did not meet postwar standards for operation.
In 1953 a group of physicians, led by Ramiro Fernandez, M.D., met with the sisters to see about building a new hospital. It was Dr. Fernandez’s wife, Emily, who suggested the name St. Jude, the patron saint of desperate situations.
A businessman, Miles Sharkey, donated land in western Fullerton with the stipulation that it be used to build a hospital. Of the 17 acres (6.9Â ha) acquired by the Sisters, the first 7.5 acres (3.0Â ha) was deeded to them for $10. On November 24, 1953, the hilltop property on which St. Jude Hospital was later built was blessed and dedicated.
St. Jude's Hospital was publicly dedicated on May 11, 1957, with 2000 spectators in attendance as well as dignitaries including Congressman James B. Utt and Cardinal James McIntyre, Archbishop of Los Angeles.
While the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange original mission in coming to California was to teach, the influenza epidemic of 1918 turned their focus to medical care, as they began caring for the sick and dying in their homes. In 1931, the Sisters purchased Fullerton General Hospital, their second hospital in Orange County. When the facility grew outdated and could no longer be adapted to new methods and technology, the Sisters began raising the one million dollars necessary for a new hospital. A local businessman donated a piece of hilltop property and with contributions from the community, the "ultramodern" St. Jude Hospital opened in 1957.
Improving the health of the communities it serves remains at the core of the hospital's mission and 10 percent of the organization's net income is dedicated to community health initiatives, with particular emphasis on helping the underserved and disadvantaged. The hospital's community programs include
- The St. Jude Neighborhood Health Center
- The St. Jude Dental Clinic
- St. Jude Mobile Health Vans
- The Caring Neighbors Program
- School-based health and obesity programs
- Neighborhood health initiatives including the sponsorship and funding of community gardens, walking paths, and fitness equipment.
References
External links
- St. Jude Medical Center
- St. Jude Medical Center Historical Timeline
- This hospital in the CA Healthcare Atlas A project by OSHPD
