TRINITY MOTHER FRANCES MARKS 75TH YEAR



TYLER, TX – In 1937, as America was struggling through the Great

Depression, a small group of dedicated women from the Catholic order of

the Sisters of The Holy Family of Nazareth committed to bring a modern

hospital to Tyler. Mother Frances Hospital was scheduled to open on

March 19. The opening day dedication that was planned never happened.

Mother Frances was called on to open one day early to care for victims

of the New London school disaster.



Nearby, the staff of the Bryant Clinic, which later became Trinity

Clinic, also responded to treat the injured. Almost 300 children,

teachers and townspeople were killed by the blast and hundreds of the

wounded were brought to Mother Frances Hospital for treatment.



Trinity Mother Frances and representatives of the New London Museum

collaborated on a video story in observance of the anniversary. The

video can be viewed at www.tmfhc.org/newlondonstory.



Numerous expansions and additions over the last seven and one-half

decades have turned the once modest hospital and small clinic into Smith

County’s largest employer and one of the highest rated integrated

health systems in the United States.



Mother Frances Hospital and Trinity Clinic are part of Trinity Mother

Frances Hospitals and Clinics, which employs over 4,000 and includes six

hospitals and 36 clinics with over 300 physicians and mid-level

providers located throughout the region.



In observance of the anniversary, Trinity Mother Frances will host

events on March 18, 19 and 24. On March 18, a special Mass will be held

at 9 a.m. in the chapel on the campus of Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler.



On March 19, David M. Brown, co-author of the recently published Gone

at 3:17 (The Untold Story of the Worst School Disaster in American

History), a book that chronicles the New London School explosion and

Mother Frances Hospital’s role in treating the injured, will hold a

public book signing in the lobby of Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler.

Jimmie Jordan Robinson, a survivor of the blast, is scheduled to

accompany Brown.



On March 24, a public celebration is scheduled from 1-3 p.m. at Trinity

Mother Frances Rose Stadium. Health information, games and giveaways are

 included for all age groups.



Additional private events are scheduled for employees, staff and New

London citizens and survivors.



“Mother Frances Hospital opened its doors a day ahead of schedule to

care for the victims of the explosion,” said Lindsey Bradley, FACHE,

president of Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics. “There is

an unbreakable bond that will forever be shared by the people of New

London and everyone at Trinity Mother Frances. We are honored that

survivors and representatives of the New London Museum will be with us

to observe the 75th anniversary.”



“The staff of the Bryant Clinic also responded to the needs of those

devastated by the New London blast, and today the physicians and

clinicians of Trinity Clinic are still serving the needs of East Texans.

We are blessed to be 75 years strong,” said Steven P. Keuer, MD,

president and chief medical officer, Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals

and Clinics.



A Polish noblewoman, Frances Siedliska, who became the namesake of the

hospital, founded the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth in

1875. Born to a cultured and wealthy family near Warsaw in 1842, she

felt called to dedicate her life to God in the service of others. Known

in religious life as Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Mother

Frances gathered together other young women to found an order, which

spread quickly throughout the world. In 1885, Mother Frances traveled

with 11 other Polish Sisters to Chicago, founding a hospital and schools

in the Polish community there. The Sisters came to Texas in 1927 to

teach in schools and care for the sick. It was in 1937 that the Sisters

of the Holy Family of Nazareth came to Tyler from the Sacred Heart

Province in Chicago to open Mother Frances Hospital.



HISTORIC DATES IN THE HISTORY OF MOTHER FRANCES HOSPITAL



1937:



Community leaders and the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth create

Tyler’s first and only hospital. Doors open a day early on March 18 to

treat hundreds of seriously wounded teachers and children after an

explosion destroys New London School about 25 miles southeast of Tyler.



1942-1945:



During World War II, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth at

Mother Frances Hospital provide care to the community, welcome home

returning soldiers and plan for the future.



1948:



A new $500,000 four-story wing was dedicated, more than doubling the

size of Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler from 60 to 150 beds.  $200,000 in

new equipment is also installed.



1949:



Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler is designated a regional polio treatment

center.  A special isolation ward was established, with iron lung

therapy.  Victims of infantile paralysis from a 100-mile radius were

treated at the hospital’s special unit.



1952:



The only electro-encephalograph in East Texas is installed at Mother

Frances Hospital-Tyler.  An advanced diagnostic aid, the new technology

measures brain waves in response to stimuli.



1954:



The Ford Foundation awards Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler a grant to add

a laboratory, diagnostic and treatment services, new delivery rooms and

provides air conditioning for the first floor of the hospital.



Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler receives JCAHO full accreditation.  A

total of 55,580 patients have been admitted since the hospital’s

opening in 1937.  The hospital adds new departments and services

including a pharmacy, psychiatry and improved diagnostic and treatment

services.



1955:



1,376 children in Smith County receive their first Salk vaccine polio

shots.



Mother Frances Hospital Auxiliary and the Mother Frances Hospital

School of Vocational Nursing are founded.



1964:



Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler launches the Junior Volunteer Program,

called “Sweethearts and Beaux,” for students 14 to 16 years old.



1965:



October 5-12, Tyler celebrates Mother Frances Hospital Week in honor of

the dedication of a new 140,000 square-foot wing added on the north side

of the hospital.  The $4.5 million project includes renovation of

existing facilities and increases the number of hospital beds to 240.



1966:



Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler develops an ICU/Cardiac Care Unit to meet

the needs of the growing region.  The Cardiac Care Unit is one of the

first of its kind in the U.S.



1972:



Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler installs nuclear X-ray equipment,

becoming the first in the area to utilize nuclear medicine in the

diagnostic field.



1979:



Telemetry is added to monitor heart patients at Mother Frances

Hospital-Tyler and ultrasound capability is added to the special

procedures and X-ray areas.



1980:



Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler expands obstetric facilities and

education and allows husbands in delivery rooms for the first time.



1981:



Arthroscopic knee surgery was first offered at Mother Frances

Hospital-Tyler, using a new $30,000 camera and equipment to assist

orthopedic surgeons.



1983:



Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler is granted approval by the Texas Health

Facilities Commission to provide open-heart surgery.



First catheterization is performed in the new cardiac cath lab.  The

first open-heart surgery in Tyler is performed at Mother Frances

Hospital-Tyler on a 63-year-old patient who undergoes quadruple bypass

surgery.



Mother Frances Hospital Maternal Child Service Center opens, adding a

20,000 square-foot Alternative Birthing Center with a home-like

environment for low-risk patients; newborn nursery; and new labor and

delivery rooms for normal and high-risk obstetrics.



Dedication of a new 175,000 square-foot patient tower brings Mother

Frances Hospital’s capacity to 358 beds.  Renovations and additions

include an 8,000 square-foot expansion to the emergency center and new

regional cardiovascular center.



1984:



One hundred open heart surgeries are performed at Mother Frances

Hospital-Tyler in the first six months the procedure is available.



Trinity Mother Frances Foundation is organized to create an opportunity

to share its programs, services and activities with the community.



1986:



Flight For Life emergency air transport services begin, bringing

emergency helicopter service to parts of the region.



MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) advanced diagnostic equipment is added

at Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler.



Tyler Square Day Surgery Unit opens. The 13,000 square-foot facility is

the only one of its kind in the area and one of only 300 similar

facilities in the U.S.



1987:



Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler is named one of the Children’s Miracle

Network hospitals and participates in its first CMN telethon.



1988:



Trinity Mother Frances opens its first regional medical clinic in

Canton.



1989:



Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler is named 1989 Business of the Year by the

Texas Association of Businesses.



1990:



Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler is recognized by The Wall Street Journal

as one of the Top Ten Hospitals in the country, with the lowest

mortality rate for open heart surgery – less than one percent.



1992:



The Trinity Mother Frances Heart Institute opens a new outpatient

cardiac cath lab facility.



Groundbreaking takes place for the new physician’s clinic site on

East Douglas Street.  The $6.3 million facility is now known as Trinity

Clinic - Douglas.



1993:



The Children’s Center, a new 21-bed pediatric unit, opens on the

third floor of Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler.



The Royce E. Wisenbaker Conference Center and Wisenbaker Diabetes

Center are dedicated.



Trinity Mother Frances creates the FamilyCARE Center to meet the needs

of medically underserved women and children in Tyler and Smith County,

providing obstetric and pediatric services to patients.  The Center is

recognized in 1997 by the Texas Hospital Association with the Excellence

in Community Service award for its dramatic impact on obstetrical care

in Smith County.



1995:



The historic merger of Trinity Clinic with Mother Frances Hospital

creates Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics, uniting the

region’s largest group of primary care physicians with the area’s

leading hospital.  The new integrated healthcare system, only the third

of its kind in Texas, has led to expanded service and value to patients

throughout the region, more access to services and to a greater focus on

wellness and prevention.



1997:



Trinity Mother Frances opens the first of six Ross Breast Center

facilities, providing the first and only comprehensive breast cancer

facility in the region.



1998:



Trinity Mother Frances, Good Shepherd Medical Center and Memorial

Health System of East Texas partner to form Champion EMS, which provides

emergency transport services to an expanded area in East Texas.



1999:



Trinity Mother Frances is named one of the “Best in the US” for

cardiac care.



2000:



Trinity Mother Frances is named a “Top 100 Health System” in the US

by Solucient.



2001:



Trinity Mother Frances is named a “Top 100 Hospital for Stroke

Management,” one of only seven hospitals in Texas and the only one in

East Texas to receive this honor.



Trinity Mother Frances-Jacksonville opens. The facility serves Cherokee

County and the surrounding area with a 101,000 square-foot medical

complex, housing spacious private patient rooms where highly skilled

healthcare providers utilize the latest technology in both inpatient and

outpatient procedures.



Trinity Clinic - Athens, a new $1.8 million, 14,725 square-foot

facility, opens to better serve Athens and Henderson County.



2002:



Trinity Mother Frances combines sports and orthopedic services under

one roof at HealthPark Plaza, located at 1327 Troup Highway in Tyler,

offering a convenient location for patients to access services.



2003:



The Ornelas Tower opens. The facility adds 152 new private patient

rooms and 16 new surgical suites with the latest technology for cardiac

care.



2004:



Trinity Mother Frances breaks ground on a multi-physician medical

complex north of Interstate 20 on Highway 69 in Lindale offering primary

care, urgent care, fitness facilities, laboratory, imaging, mammography,

cardiac stress testing, cardiac and physical rehabilitation and sleep

studies.



2006:



Trinity Mother Frances-Canton moves to an expanded new facility to

better serve patients in the region through primary care, urgent care,

fitness facilities, laboratory, imaging, mammography, cardiac stress

testing, cardiac and physical rehabilitation and sleep studies.



Trinity Mother Frances is the first in the region to launch the

life-saving heart attack protocol, Code STEMI (ST-segment Elevation

Myocardial Infarction), to reduce time between transport and treatment

of acute heart attack victims.



2007:



Thomson Reuters names Mother Frances one of the U.S.’s 100 Top

Hospitals.



Trinity Mother Frances opens the first of six sleep centers to address

sleep disorders.



2008:



Trinity Mother Frances opens the first and only Level IIIA Neonatal

Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Tyler, offering close-to-home advanced

life-saving medical care to at-risk infants.



2009:



Trinity Mother Frances-Lake Palestine opens, offering primary care,

urgent care, fitness facilities, laboratory, imaging, mammography,

cardiac stress testing, cardiac and physical rehabilitation and sleep

studies.



2010:



The Texas Department of State Health Services designates Mother Frances

Hospital-Tyler as a Primary (Level II) Stroke Facility.



Trinity Mother Frances welcomes Winnsboro into the family of community

hospitals by opening a new Mother Frances Hospital-Winnsboro campus.



Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler receives Chest Pain Center

accreditation.



Mother Frances is named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals by

Thomson Reuters.



Trinity Mother Frances opens Phase One of the Louis and Peaches Owen

Heart Hospital, the first and only freestanding heart hospital in the

region.



Trinity Mother Frances opens the Epilepsy Center as the region’s only

continuous inpatient monitoring unit, to provide comprehensive care for

patients with seizure disorders.



2011:



Trinity Mother Frances breaks ground on the region’s first

freestanding heart hospital, Phase Two of The Louis and Peaches Owen

Heart Hospital.



Trinity Mother Frances opens the Outpatient Imaging Center at

HealthPark Plaza.



Mother Frances is named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals by

Thomson Reuters.



The Louis & Peaches Owen Heart Hospital receives a three-star rating in

cardiac surgical care from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.



2012:



Trinity Mother Frances begins implementing a new system-wide Electronic

Health Record System, ConnectCARE, which offers seamless access to

information, enhancing efficiency as well as patient safety and

convenience.



IMS ranks Trinity Mother Frances 16th in the US and 1st in Texas on the

list of Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Networks.





About Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics



Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics includes The Louis &

Peaches Owen Heart Hospital, Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler, Mother

Frances Hospital-Jacksonville, Mother Frances Hospital-Winnsboro,

Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital, affiliated with

HealthSouth, Tyler ContinueCARE Hospital, a long-term acute care

facility, and Trinity Clinic. Trinity Clinic is the area's preferred

multispecialty medical group, with over 300 physicians and mid- level

providers representing 38 specialties in 36 clinic locations serving

East Texas. For more information on services available through Trinity

Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics, visit tmfhc.org.