St. John's Hospital From humble beginnings in the 1870’s when only a few Hospital Sisters cared for the sick and poor in a two-story house, St. John's Hospital has grown to become a regional referral center providing tertiary care to the residents of central and southern Illinois. St. John’s serves as a teaching hospital for Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. The hospital also supports other areas of medical education including St. John’s College Department of Nursing. Founded in 1886, the School of Nursing is the oldest Catholic hospital-based program in the United States. The Prairie Heart Institute, the largest heart program in Illinois, has received national recognition by such organizations as Healthgrades and Solucient for superior quality, cost-effective heart care. Comprehensive medical and surgical services include open heart surgery, diagnostic and therapeutic cardiac catheterization, and cardiac rehabilitation. St. John’s Children’s Hospital at the Carol Jo Vecchie Women and Children’s Center provides Level III neonatal and pediatric rehabilitation services to a 34-county service area. The Cancer Institute provides comprehensive care, offering oncololgy patients access to the latest technology. The Bone and Joint Institute focuses on assisting patients suffering from orthopedic injuries and illnesses. St. John’s participates in the Level I Southern Illinois Regional Trauma Center, and a new Emergency Department opened in 2001. The Springfield Area Mobile Intensive Care (EMS) System is based at St. John’s and serves the area within a 150-mile radius of Springfield. St. John’s provides a ministry of value-based health services in the Catholic tradition of compassionate care, justice and reverence for life throughout its continuum.                                                             ©2007 Hospital Sisters Health System. All rights reserved. P.O.Box 19456 • Springfield • Illinois • 62794-9456 • Directions • webcontact@hshs.org