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History of St. Anthony's Medical Center

Franciscan Tradition    1960s    1970s    1980s    1990s    2000s

St. Anthony's Medical Center’s long and proud tradition of service to the St. Louis area began in 1900 when the Franciscan Sisters of Germany opened St. Anthony's Hospital in south St. Louis. The Catholic, faith-based foundation was established as the Sisters named the facility after St. Anthony of Padua who patterned his life and healing ministry after the example set by Jesus Christ.

As the community grew, the Franciscan Sisters made plans to expand the original facility. New wings were added in 1904 and 1928, establishing St. Anthony’s as a leading health care provider both nationally and locally. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, St. Anthony's gained national recognition as the Midwest's primary treatment center for polio victims. And in 1957, St. Anthony's became one of the first hospitals in the area to offer cobalt cancer treatment.

1960s

In 1967, the Franciscan Sisters transferred ownership and control of the hospital to a board of community leaders, making St. Anthony's the first Catholic hospital in the St. Louis area to be administered by a lay board. Following this transition, plans were made to relocate the hospital to south St. Louis County.

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1970s

In 1975, St. Anthony's Medical Center opened at its present location and remains the only hospital located in south St. Louis County.

Over the years St. Anthony’s has changed and grown to meet community needs. And along the way, there’s been additional recognition from national and local organizations.

In 1977, Hyland Behavioral Health was established to provide inpatient and outpatient care for children, teens and adults coping with depression, schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses, drug addiction, eating disorders and dual diagnoses.

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1980s

In the early 1980s, St. Anthony’s recruited many primary care and specialty care physicians to south St. Louis County to meet the needs of growing communities close to home.

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1990s

In 1994 St. Anthony’s opened the Medical Plaza across the street from the Medical Center. It included an Outpatient Surgery Center, which made patient access more convenient for minor surgeries that did not require an overnight hospital stay. It also provided space for several primary care and specialty care physician offices. These services are still available today.

In 1999, St. Anthony’s received a Top 100 Hospital designation from HCIA for orthopedic surgery – total knee replacement.

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2000s

In 2000, cancer services were centralized and expanded with the opening of the Cancer Center. In addition, the Fern & Russell F. de Greeff Hospice House provides an alternative home for individuals with terminal illnesses who do not have a caregiver at home.

In 2002, St. Anthony’s opened the Heart & Ambulatory Services Center, a four-story facility adjacent to the Medical Center. This facility centralizes outpatient access to leading cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and vascular surgeons in the St. Louis area, providing a comprehensive range of cardiac and peripheral vascular diagnostic tests and treatment procedures. In addition, cardiac rehabilitation and fitness center services are nearby.

In 2004, St. Anthony’s received the Cardiac Center of Excellence designation from United Healthcare, the largest health plan in St. Louis. Also in 2004, St. Anthony’s was designated one of the “Best Places to Work”by the St. Louis Business Journal.

In Spring 2005, St. Anthony’s was named a Solucient Top 100 performance improvement leader among U.S. hospitals. This designation was based on a thorough evaluation of 2,592 hospitals’ outcomes in quality, financial, operations and growth performance indicators. St. Anthony’s achieved improved outcomes in these areas at a faster rate than most other U.S. hospitals.

Also in Spring 2005, St. Anthony’s became the first hospital in St. Louis to receive Accredited Chest Pain Center designation by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. St. Anthony’s integrates emergency and heart care services to rapidly diagnose

In 2008, St. Anthony’s completed a $90-million hospital redesign and construction project that included a new, state-of-the-art heart and surgical pavilion in a four-story hospital building adjacent to the current facility; a separate pediatric emergency department; and renovations providing all-private acute care

In 2009, St. Anthony’s Medical Center, the leading hospital in the St. Louis area for hip and knee replacements, opened its new Ortho-Spine Center. The new Ortho-Spine Center, a “horizontal hospital within a hospital,” includes 62 all-private patient rooms, specifically designed to care for post-operative orthopedic patients.

The leaders, physicians and employees who serve St. Anthony’s patients today proudly continue the tradition of caring that began in 1900 and will continue for years to come.

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