Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center. Chicago, Illinois

Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital has been serving the ethnic community on Chicago's near-northwest side since 1894. The city's first Polish hospital, it was founded by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth to care for many Polish immigrants who settled in the area. Although the surrounding neighborhood is now predominantly comprised of 56% hispanic, 9% black and 37% white ethnic residents, the hospital retains strong ties to the Polish community, as witnessed by a visit to Saint Marys by Cardinal Karol Wojtyla shortly before his election as Pope John Paul II. The hospital's first site was a vacant three-story brick apartment building which the Sisters remodeled into a 24-bed hospital. This facility was quickly outgrown, even after purchase of the two-story frame house next door which increased Saint Marys capacity to 44 beds. Eight years after its founding, a brand new hospital was built. Over the years, Saint Marys continued to experience steady growth requiring the periodic addition of new buildings and wings. By the early 1970s, the need for another brand-new facility was evident. In 1975, a new hospital opened, based on some of the Friesen supply concepts. Today, Saint Marys operates a nearby family practice center, a home health care service, a satellite lab and an intensive care emergency helicopter serving patients in a 120 mile radius.