Dignity Health St. John’s Regional Medical Center Commemorates Legacy of Founding Sisters on Mercy Day
OXNARD, CA – September 24, 2020 – Dignity Health St. John's Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) is pleased to share with the community the completion of the new Mercy Cross tower, which celebrates the heritage of the regional medical center's founding sisters— the Sisters of Mercy. The announcement coincides with Feastday of Our Lady of Mercy (Mercy Day)—a date observed annually throughout the world in remembrance of Catherine McAuley's establishment of the first House of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland, on September 24, 1827. It is through Catherine's ministry that the Religious Sisters of Mercy were founded.
The new Mercy Cross tower, which stands tall outside the hospital's main entrance, celebrates the Sisters of Mercy and their contributions to the region's health and well-being.
"As we continue to expand our services to meet the needs of our growing community, it is important that we honor and remain rooted in the principles set forth by the women religious who were integral in establishing St. John's," said Darren Lee, President, and CEO of St. John's Regional Medical Center.
At the request of community leaders, the Sisters of Mercy arrived in Oxnard from San Diego in 1911 to help establish health care services for the thousands of residents who settled on the Oxnard plain. In May 1912, with Oxnard's pioneer families' help, the Sisters of Mercy opened the doors to the six-room wooden structure hospital, called by the name St. John's Hospital. In its 108 years of service to the community, St. John's has expanded its services and community outreach to stay true the founding principles of delivering high quality and compassionate health care to the community.
The new Mercy Cross tower was made possible by the generous contributions made by St. John's employees to the St. John's Healthcare Foundation's Beacon of Mercy campaign. For more information about the St. John's Healthcare Foundation, please visit SupportStJohns.org.
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About Dignity Health - St. John’s Regional Medical Center:
St. John’s Regional Medical Center is a 265-bed acute care, award-winning facility. Serving Ventura County for more than one hundred years, St. John’s is the first and only Certified Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center in Ventura County and a recipient of the American Heart Association’s, Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. Designated as a STEMI Receiving Center, St. John’s is highly recognized in the community for excellence in cardiac care and has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Cardiac Care by Blue Shield of California. Our Cancer Center is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, and our Integrated Breast Center is accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. SJRMC houses a comprehensive Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, providing specialized care to the tiniest patients as well as a Beacon Award-Winning Intensive Care Unit. Each hospital is supported by an active philanthropic Foundation to help meet the growing health care needs of our communities.
Publish date:
Thursday, September 24, 2020