12th Ward, Alderman George Cardenas, will Honor and Celebrate the 109th Birthday of Saint Anthony Hospital for its Dedication and Service to the Community

12th Ward, Alderman George Cardenas, will Honor and Celebrate the 109th Birthday of Saint Anthony Hospital for its Dedication and Service to the Community

(PRWEB) June 9, 2005

In addition to the birthday ceremony, the hospital is celebrating this yearÂ?s birthday with various activities through out the hospital all month long. A special birthday mass will be held along with an associate picnic and much more.

In 2004, a historic group of mothers joined the 108th birthday celebration, as they all had their babies during a 24-hour period from April 18-19, 2004. Saint Anthony Hospital is known for new arrivals, on an average, over 2500 babies are born every year. According to Rosemary F. Meganck, APN, CNM, Director of WomenÂ?s Services, Â?Births occur equally during the week and at all times of the day. The busiest months in the Midwest are July and October and on an average, more boys than girls are born. The average baby weighs 7 lbs and about 85% of babies go home within a 48 hour periodÂ?.

Saint Anthony HospitalÂ?s roots in Chicago are deep. Its healthcare ministry began in 1896, when four young Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic order dedicated to serving the sick, opened a six-bed clinic over a bakery in the cityÂ?s booking stockyard district. By 1898, their quality of care and exceptional kindness was renowned, and the tiny clinic was replaced by a new 75 bed-hospital.

109th Birthday June 14, 2005

Saint Anthony Hospital

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Today, Saint Anthony is a 170 bed non-profit community teaching hospital staffed by 650 associates and a medical staff of 250. Thirteen clinics and outreach locations provide care in communities on the near southwest side including Pilsen/Little Village. The community is predominantly Mexican- American. Through the outreach partnerships, Saint Anthony delivers thousands of free health services each year. The community has the highest poverty and birth rates in ChicagoÂ?s 76 neighborhoods. Saint Anthony is among IllinoisÂ? top ten Medicaid service providers and one of the largest employers in the community.

According to CEO and President, Kathleen K. DeVine, Â? We witness the plight of the uninsured and underinsured on a daily basis. Most of the 96,000 people we treat each year have either no insurance or substandard coverage. Our mission to provide healthcare that leaves no one behind is challenged everyday as resources become scarcer.Â?

Saint Anthony Hospital is very committed to building a strong and healthy community. Through various outreach strategies, the hospital provides a wide variety of free bilingual (Spanish), community health education/outreach programs and services. The certified health educator’s work with community based organizations, schools, parishes, and other agencies to implement and teach the following health education programs/services, Prenatal care/healthy pregnancy, Diabetes awareness/management, Heart Disease awareness/management (nutrition, smoking cessation, exercise, stress management), Infant/Child Health (Immunizations, child safety, Asthma), Women’s Health (Breast/Cervical, gynecological), Health Fair Services (general health screenings, immunizations, school physicals, flu shots, asthma and vision) and KidCare Health Insurance Program.

One of the more important outreach programs, that the community utilizes frequently, is the Diabetes Center, which helps patients understand and control their diabetes and refers patients to appropriate events. The Center works with the primary care doctors, patients and their families to provide quality diabetes care and education to help patients live a healthy life with diabetes. The Center coordinates specialty care such as eye, foot and wound examinations. All services are provided in English and Spanish.

For more information on Saint Anthony Hospital, please call (773) 484-1000.

EditorÂ?s Note: Saint Anthony Hospital is spelled out and not abbreviated. Saint Anthony Hospital is located at 2875 West 19th Street in Chicago.

For over 100 years, physicians and staff of Saint Anthony Hospital have provided medical care, social services, and community outreach programs to Chicago’s underserved communities of Pilsen and Little Village. Today, Saint Anthony Hospital is known for its partnerships providing a full continuum of care from prevention and outreach to subspecialty services, to meet the needs of the community. Saint Anthony Hospital is the only Chicago area member of Ascension Health, the largest not-for-profit Catholic Health system in the United States.

Saint Anthony Hospital is a member of Ascension Health, the nation’s largest Catholic and nonprofit health system with more than 100,000 associates serving in 67 acute care hospitals and dozens of related facilities in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Consistent with its mission to serve all people with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable, Ascension Health provides clinically excellent care with an emphasis on innovation and a focus on transforming the healthcare industry.

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