A Roman Catholic facility founded by the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph and sponsored by Catholic Health International, St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center aspires to live the healing mission of Christ within the South Side community of Chicago. The mission calls us to care for the sick and promote the health of the residents in the community while witnessing the Christian values of respect, dignity, caring and compassion for all persons.
In all matters, St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center will show a special sensitivity to the culture of the people we serve and the special needs of the poor and powerless.
St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center will be recognized for its outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment in providing excellence in health care, and promoting and fostering comprehensive community wellness in the South Side community in Chicago.
Motivated by its values, the family of St. Bernard Hospital will be sensitive and caring in reaching out to the community to facilitate the achievement of a physically, economically and spiritually healthy environment, characterized by high-quality health services and community development.
Ensure access to medical care that is responsive to ever-changing conditions in the community’s health care needs
Promote wellness and prevention of illness in the community, and be known as a resource for health education
Serve as a catalyst for change by empowering and partnering with organizations to enhance the provision of health care and economic development of the neighborhood
Support and nurture all members of our hospital family — individually and collectively — so that patients are provided with quality health care
Further the hospital’s leadership role in advocacy for people in need with particular concern for the poor and powerless
Advance the development of a safe neighborhood environment and community quality of life
Increase affordable housing, job opportunities and business development in the South Side community through productive collaborations
History Of St Bernard Hospital
St. Bernard Hospital’s founding goes back to the turn of the 20th century when Englewood was a hub of commercial activity, second only to Chicago’s downtown Loop. Today, the Hospital remains an iconic fixture integral to the vitality, health and development of the neighborhood.
Its roots began in the vibrant Catholic parish of St. Bernard’s Church, where leader Father Bernard Murray had his pulse on the growing needs within his community, particularly in healthcare. His search for a partner organization to help launch a hospital led him to an unlikely group north of the border -- the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph in Kingston, Ontario Canada.
So moved with his vision, seven Canadian Catholic sisters volunteered for this mission to aid Fr. Murray, arriving on November 21, 1903. “The morning after their arrival, says the hospital’s historical journal, the sisters began making linens, bedding and bandages: while others began the arduous task of soliciting from door to door for funds to build the hospital.”
This priest and these seven sisters bonded with the community and raised enough money to purchase the land at Harvard Avenue and 64th Street – the St. Bernard Hospital home for 115 years – and achieve their monumental goal. On June 26, 1904, the original main building was dedicated and named in honor of the patron saint of its founder: St. Bernard Hotel Dien (House of God). The hospital’s first baby, a boy, was born December 25th and named Noel.
Decades of milestones followed, each time expanding, modernizing and shaping new services, all in response to the unique and changing needs enveloping the neighborhoods around St. Bernard.
