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St. Joseph's Health BY JOSH GARCIA SPURRED BY THE MISSION AND LEGACY OF SAINT MARIANNE COPE, ST. JOSEPH'S HE ALTH IS COMMIT TED TO IMPROVING LOCAL ACCESS TO QUALIT Y HE ALTH CARE FOR ALL OF CENTR AL NE W YORK. I N 18 69, a s m a l l g r o u p o f w o m e n purcha sed a da nce ha l l a nd sa loon in Sy racuse, New York, with the intention of conver ting t he space into a 15 -bed hospita l. Their mission wa s to prov ide ca re for ever yone i n t he com mu n it y, r e ga r d le s s of t hei r r a c e , e t h n icit y, relig ion or econom ic sta nding. The g roup of women belonged to the Sisters of St . Fra ncis of t he Neuma nn Communities a nd fol lowed the leader- sh ip of Mot her Ma r ia n ne Cope, who w a s c a n on i z e d a s a s a i nt i n 2 01 2 . T hei r hospit a l , or i g i na l ly k now n a s S t . Joseph's Hospit a l , w a s t he f i r s t in Sy racuse a nd one of t he ea rliest in t he countr y. " Sa i nt Ma r ia n ne helped est abl i sh t wo of t he f i rs t hospit a ls i n Cent ra l New York," says Debora h Welch, Vice President for Mission Integ ration a nd Com mu n it y Hea lt h a nd Wel l-B ei n g at St . Joseph's Hea lt h . " She wa s t he administrator of St . Joseph's Hospita l for six yea rs a f ter it opened. Her leader- ship wa s g rounded in fa ith, va lues a nd a com m itment to ser v ice." St. Joseph's Hospita l g rew a nd even- tua l ly beca me St . Joseph's Hea lth, but the mission of Sa int Ma ria nne a nd the Si s t er s of St . F ra nci s h a s rem a i ned t he fou ndation of t he h istor ic hea lt h or g a n i z a t ion's c ompr e hen s ive a n d compa ssionate approach to ca re. "O u r com mu n it y h a s g row n f rom Onondaga Count y to the entire Centra l New York reg ion," says Ma rk Mur phy, Chief Strateg y Of f icer at St . Joseph's Hea lt h . " Thoug h St . Joseph's Hea lt h h a s t ra n sit ioned d ra m at ica l ly f rom its beg in nings to where we a re today, ou r success comes f rom a d her i n g to t h e m i s s ion a n d v a lu e s t h a t S a i nt Ma r ia n ne established 150 yea rs a go." The original mission of St. Joseph's Hospital was to welcome everyone and provide the same quality of care regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic means. That mission remains a priority today. MOTHER MARIANNE'S MISSION While the St. Joseph's Hea lth system now encompa sses over 450 hospita l beds and nearly 5,000 employees, Saint Marianne's life and dedication to help- ing others remains an important part of new providers' education when they join the organization. "During orientation, every new col- league learns about Saint Marianne and Pursues Another 150 Years of Mission- Inspired Excellence Saint Marianne Cope and other Sisters of St. Francis opened St. Joseph's Hospital in 1869 in response to a need for basic health care in a city of immigrants. 0 6❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R S T O R Y