[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15537]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 15537]]

     HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. CLEMENT HEALTH SERVICES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 19, 2000

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join 
me in honoring the 100th anniversary of St. Clement Health Services.
  A little more than 100 years ago, the idea of a facility to care for 
the sick in Red Bud, Illinois was born. Although the original plan only 
intended for a house to care for ill sisters from the Adorers of the 
Blood in Christ convent in Ruma, Illinois, the needs and wants of the 
community created St. Clement's Hospital.
  In the 1890's, several sisters had been experiencing serious health 
problems. Mother Clementine of the ASC order visualized an infirmary 
facility with extra rooms set aside for sisters who would be passing on 
their way to Ruma. Land for the house was purchased in 1898. During the 
summer and the fall of that year, the 3.9 acre tract for the facility 
was cleared. Construction began on the building in 1899 and continued 
through 1900. The building was dedicated on August 5, 1900 under the 
title of St. Clement's Hospital. The facility, built with 8 rooms on 
the first floor, served not only as a hospital, but also as a place 
where the aged and infirm could spend their last days in a Catholic 
setting. It could accommodate as many as 20 patients.
  To help support the hospital, the sisters of ASC cultivated a large 
garden and raised both pigs and cows. Handwork and needlework were also 
sold. Water was pumped by hand with a hose to the third floor for the 
bathrooms. Having no electricity, the ice box had to be stocked with 
ample supplies of ice.
  As the hospital grew, an addition was built for the hospital in 1946 
with 70 beds, 15 bassinets and 20 beds for the aged and infirm sisters. 
St. Clement quickly outgrew this addition. In 1966, survey results 
pointed to the lack of extended care facilities for the anticipated 
growth for the hospital service area. On May 24, 1969, ground was 
broken for a new $4.5 million St. Clement Hospital.
  In the 100 years since St. Clement's has been open, the hospital has 
experienced significant growth. In the first year of operation, they 
performed their first surgery. Throughout the 50's and 60's the 
hospital was averaging 300 surgeries a year. Today, an average of 1,600 
surgeries are performed. The first birth didn't occur until 1925. 
Throughout the 30's no more than 40 births were recorded. In 1943, 
there were 169 births while over the next ten years the hospital 
averaged 420 births a year. Today, the hospital welcomes 130 new babies 
a year.
  One hundred years later, the original hospital may be gone, but you 
may still find St. Clement Hospital available to take care of the sick 
and reaching out to the community it serves. Today, St. Clement Health 
Services is a member of Unity Health. They encompass the resources and 
personnel of St. John's Mercy Medical Hospital, St. John's Mercy 
Medical Center and St. Luke's Hospital.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring St. Clement's 
Health Services on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of their 
founding and to recognize the administration and staff both past and 
present for the quality service that they have been providing to the 
people of our area for the past 100 years.

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