St. Michael's Hospital history

ST. MICHAEL HOSPITAL, the second CATHOLIC hospital in Cleveland, was founded in 1884 as St Alexis.

In 1885, the sisters raised $5,500 toward the construction of a main building and a new wing, which added 32 beds.

FRANK E. BUNTS, GEORGE W. CRILE, and WILLIAM E. LOWER, 3 of the 4 founders of the CLEVELAND CLINIC FOUNDATION. In 1906, Doctor Crile performed the world's first direct blood transfusion between humans at St Alexis.

Upon his untimely death in 1909, Meagher left his entire estate for the establishment of a hospital in Texarkana to meet the healthcare needs of the community and surrounding areas.

Yes, Phillip Brooks was the first patient of the new 50-bed hospital on its official opening day of September 14, 1916.

An addition to the main building, the Leonarda Memorial Building was completed in 1925.

The first maternity ward was constructed as an addition to the Leonarda building in 1945.

A newly constructed 127-bed "St Michael Hospital" was dedicated, despite the hardships of World War II, in 1948 to the service of God.

The next major expansion program was completed in 1955, when the 10-story main building was erected at a cost of $3.5 million.

A new service wing with an x-ray department, enlarged surgical division, new maternity ward, modern emergency room, and office space was added in 1959.

In September 1994, Pennsylvania-based Primary Health Systems (PHS) acquired the hospital and renamed it St Michael Hospital.

The CHRISTUS Health System was created in 1999 when the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in Houston and the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio combined their healthcare ministries to better serve the communities where they were located.

As local politicians and neighborhood groups in SLAVIC VILLAGE rallied to save the venerable hospital from closing, the UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS Health System purchased St Michael in a public auction in 2000.

In 2003, University Hospitals announced its intention to close the 250-bed hospital once and for all, citing declining patient volume, mounting operation costs, and failure to attract private insurance contracts.

On January 1, 2013, CHRISTUS St Michael expanded its services to residents of Atlanta in Cass County, Texas, and the surrounding region.