Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1518202
Health Matters: Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center | 3 S ince the very beginning, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center has represented a unique partnership among the civic, business, medical and faith communities. It all started with two local doctors who, in the early 1940s, recognized the need for an acute care hospital to serve the area's growing population. The physicians reached out to the Catholic Church for help in establishing the San Fernando Valley 's first hospital. The Sisters of Providence answered the call. Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, which was then headquartered in Burbank, helped secure a federal grant and donated 11 acres across the street from Walt Disney Studios. St. Joseph Hospital, as we were then known, opened on February 1, 1944. The hospital has continued to grow along with the local community. In fact, every decade has seen expansions at Saint Joseph, including our Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center in 2010, the Howard and Hycy Hill Neuroscience Institute in 2011, the Jaromír Střížka Emergency Department in 2022, and last fall the opening of the Cusumano Family Health Center, which houses our Physical and Occupational Therapy Clinic and the Providence Urgent Care center. Amid all of the growth, Providence Saint Joseph has continued to receive accolades for clinical excellence and remains dedicated to offering world- class care to our community. To read more about the history of Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, scan the QR code. Where Compassion Meets Excellence: Celebrating Eight Decades of Care Clockwise from top left: A local paper boy presents Sister Flora Mary with a $1.10 gift for the East Building, 1953; Walt Disney West Wing groundbreaking, 1961; nursery, 1960; Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center today.