St Anthony's Hospital Inc history

In 1951, the hospital grew into a six-building complex with 225 beds.

In 1960, St Anthony's opened the first Cardiac Catheterization Lab in the county.

1963 – Having outgrown the facility at East State and Summit, the Sisters move to a new hospital at the current site of OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center.

1964 – Saint Anthony Hospital physicians perform Rockford’s first open-heart surgery on a patient.

1970 – Saint Anthony Hospital physicians perform the first coronary bypass surgery in Rockford.

The new surgery center replaces St Anthony’s 35-year-old surgery facilities and existing technology to accommodate the growth from two surgeons in 1971 to nine active surgeons who live in Carroll today.

In 1972 the hospital had the first computerized pharmacy in the southeastern United States.

1976 – Saint Anthony Hospital changes its name to Saint Anthony Medical Center.

In July 1980, St Anthony's opened its CareUnit, a facility to treat patients with drug and alcohol-related dependencies.

1981 – The State of Illinois moves the state trauma helicopter, or the “Lifeline” Helicopter, from Elgin to Saint Anthony Hospital in Rockford.

1984 – Saint Anthony Medical Center opens a nine-bed Neurological Intensive Care Unit, the only one of its kind in the region at that time.

1986 - First hospital-based MRI

1989 – OSF Healthcare System is formed.

That new building remained virtually unchanged for more than two decades until 1994 when St Anthony dedicated a 78,000-square-foot major renovation and expansion project which focused on the delivery of outpatient services.

1995 – OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center consolidates oncology testing, treatment and conferences under one roof with the Center for Cancer Care.

1999 – OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center celebrates its 100th anniversary.

At the end of 2000, St Anthony announced its “Campaign for Dignity,” a capital campaign designed to add an 18-unit Alzheimer’s facility and update the existing nursing home.

The project was completed in June of 2003 and includes a secure, homelike Alzheimer’s unit, enclosed garden and courtyard, new private nursing home rooms and an expanded adult day care program.

In January 2005, the year-long 100th anniversary celebration culminated with the ribbon cutting of a new three-story facility built to address both current and future healthcare challenges of the community.

On August 22, 2006, St Anthony Regional Hospital held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new 120,000-square-foot inpatient and outpatient surgery center.

The new $25 million surgery center celebrated its opening at a community event on June 1, 2008.

St Anthony's future continues to grow as the hospital opened the new Emergency Center and Patient Care Tower in early 2012.