Saint Vincent Health

For a moment, imagine 1875. It’s 10 years beyond the end of the Civil War. Ulysses S. Grant is the U.S. president. Railroads are the central industry of the country. The American population is dominated by farmers. Erie, like most cities, has no hospital. Its 28,000 residents are cared for by a handful of doctors who have set up practice in this growing port.But the Sisters of St. Joseph are about to make history. Already caring for orphans and teaching in local Catholic schools, they’re now called to enter the ministry of health care.

For months, the Sisters canvass the city seeking donations. The community generously supports their cause, and on September 5, 1875, Erie’s first medical institution – St. Vincent’s Hospital – is open. It’s a three-story, 12-bed hospital staffed by one surgeon and seven dedicated Sisters, who handle everything from nursing to laundry.The Sisters’ ministry to the sick began with an unfortunate accident in front of the St. Joseph orphanage in 1874. After caring for an injured man, other cases were soon brought to the Sisters, until demand became so great that Mother Agnes Spencer obtained permission from Bishop Mullen to build the hospital.

Over the next 130 years, the original building was expanded, other buildings were constructed and the health center “campus” was formed. Saint Vincent Health System grew to encompass sites such as other health care facilities and physician practices that are in the regional community.