Saint Joseph Mercy Health System Explained

Network:St. Joseph Mercy Health System
Founded:1911

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) was one of the largest health care networks based in southeast Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1911 and existed until 2022, when it merged with Mercy Health to form Trinity Health Michigan.

Prior to the merger, St. Joseph Mercy Health System consisted of five prime hospitals, nine urgent care centers, and five health centers spread around metro Detroit, providing health care in six counties that include Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne.[1]

Foundation

In 1911, four Sisters of Mercy arrived in Ann Arbor from Dubuque, Iowa. They came at the invitation of local medical and religious leaders who dreamed of founding a community hospital to serve area residents. That dream became a reality on November 21, 1911, when the Sisters opened St. Joseph's Sanitarium, a small hospital located in a former student rooming house at the corner of State and Kingsley streets.

The little hospital had a nine-member medical staff and 17 beds on the second and third floors, including eight private rooms. Surgeons operated on the first floor, then carried their patients up the stairs to their rooms above. In its first year, 243 patients were admitted.

By 1914, St. Joe's had moved to a new facility on Ingalls Street. In 1977, the hospital relocated to its present location on East Huron River Drive in Superior Township.

Hospitals

Hospital City, County Number of Beds
St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor 537
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Pontiac, Oakland443
St. Mary Mercy Livonia 304
St. Joseph Mercy Livingston 136
St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea 113

IHA Health Services

Merging in 2010,[2] IHA Health Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of St. Joseph Health System. IHA is the largest, fully integrated physician group practice in southeast Michigan, with approximately 70 practice locations and 650 providers.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About Us at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System homepage. http://web.archive.org/web/20190924061007/www.stjoeshealth.org/aboutus. 24 September 2019.
  2. Web site: IHA and SJMHS Announce Strategic Merger. 5 October 2010. http://web.archive.org/web/20190306051452/www.stjoesannarbor.org/iha-and-sjmhs-announce-strategic-merger. 6 March 2019.
  3. Web site: About IHA. https://web.archive.org/web/20190802194424/ihacares.com/about-iha-2/about-iha. 2 August 2019.