Celebrating 60 Years of Miracles Large and Small

September 6, 2017

Dear Neighbors,

In 1957, two thousand people stood in the rain to see the opening of a new hospital in Fullerton. In the words of one newspaper, “This is the day we have been waiting for. All of Orange County rejoices over the completion of the ultramodern St. Jude Hospital.”

The hospital was the result of a partnership between the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange — who wanted to create a new standard of care — and a community who was eager to help make it possible. From the Rotary Club’s sold-out dinner dance, to a local business auctioning off lunches with Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart, the community found an almost endless variety of ways to raise money for construction of the new hospital.

Within days of opening, every bed was full and there was tremendous excitement over St. Jude’s high-tech features. Going beyond the community standard at the time, it offered the latest advances in care including state-of-the-art operating rooms and a new concept in medicine called “the recovery room.” Despite the impressive technology, it was a difference of the heart that truly distinguished the new hospital. The Sisters could be found on every floor and their faithful service to others and to God created an atmosphere where extraordinary care became not just possible but expected. Sixty years later, much remains the same.

A generous community still allows St. Jude to offer a level of care typically found only at the nation’s largest academic and research hospitals. From leading-edge imaging and robotic technology to today’s most sophisticated surgery capabilities, philanthropy has helped make St. Jude one of California’s most respected and technologically-advanced hospitals.

St. Jude’s commitment to safeguarding and improving the lives of patients and families is still evident in a long list of national awards and honors, including the 2017 Women’s Choice Award in six areas and including one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience, U.S. News & World Report recognition in nine specialties and conditions, and designation as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center. With each new award, our physicians, nurses, therapists, technicians and staff demonstrate that the original intent of the Sisters and the community remains unchanged — “to create a hospital that would rival all others”.

For six decades it’s been our privilege to care for you, your family and friends for routine care, to the birth of a baby to life-saving surgery. We’re looking forward to caring for you and serving the community for another 60 years.

Respectfully,

Brian Helleland, Chief Executive

St. Jude Medical Center

To learn how you can support St. Jude's life-saving work, please call (714) 992-3033.

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