Franciscan Health


Franciscan Health, formerly Franciscan Alliance, is a healthcare system serving Indiana and parts of Illinois. It operates 14 hospitals and employs over 18,000 full- and part-time employees.

History

Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in 1863 in Olpe, Germany. Drawn to the ideals of St. Francis, Mother Theresia cared for poor and neglected children and for persons in need of healthcare. In 1875, she sent sisters to Indiana where the mission grew to include hospitals, schools, orphanages and homes for the aged. St. Elizabeth Hospital, now Franciscan Health Lafayette Central in Lafayette, was the first facility founded by the sisters in America. In 1931 the sisters divided into eastern and western provinces, the eastern centered at Mishawaka, Indiana.
In 1974, the sisters of the eastern province incorporated their healthcare ministry under the name of the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc. All related healthcare activities were consolidated into this corporation with a separate board and management staff. In 1986, the corporate offices were moved to their current location on the provincialate grounds in Mishawaka.
In November 2010, Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc., changed its name to Franciscan Alliance, Inc. In September 2016 it changed to Franciscan Health and renamed its healthcare facilities using "Franciscan Health" and location, rather than the names of saints.

Facilities

Healthcare facilities