Saint John's Health System history

A training school for nurses was established and a nurses' residence was built across the street from St John's in 1906.

That year, following several years of fundraising, the Daughters open a new hospital named St Mary’s amidst a raging cholera epidemic, and St Vincent Hospital ceases operations. It transitions to an acute care hospital named Providence Hospital in 1910.

Thanks to that single invitation and a generous land donation by Johannes Borchard–a longtime farmer who sponsored many families who migrated to the area–the first St John’s Hospital opened its doors on June 14, 1912.

Borgess Hospital is well-utilized by the community, and in 1917 the decision is made to construct a facility at a new location in Kalamazoo.

In 1938, medical professionals from Santa Monica partnered with the Sisters of Charity to build a new hospital.

Highlights include the contents of time capsules, the first of which was interred behind the hospital’s first cornerstone in 1942, as well as original correspondence, photos and artifacts such as a Bing Crosby recording dedicated to Saint John’s.

After 100 years of service, St Mary’s Hospital is sold to a group of physicians in 1949.

1965 Providence Hospital relocated A new Providence Hospital is built in 1965 by the Daughters of Charity in Southfield, a suburb of Detroit, to replace the facility on West Grand Blvd.

The two facilities merged in 1986, becoming Heartland Medical Center

In November 1994, Dakota Hospital merged with Heartland Medical Center to become Dakota Heartland Hospital.

DHHS began operating in January 1995 as a 50/50 partnership between Champion Healthcare Corporation, now called Paracelsus, and Dakota Medical Foundation.

On July 1, 1998 Paracelsus purchased the remaining 50 percent interest in DHHS from Dakota Medical Foundation, creating the largest public foundation in North Dakota.

In fiscal year 1999, the new organization provides $374 million in community benefits and care for persons who are poor and vulnerable.