Bon Secours St. Francis Celebrates 10 Years In West Ashley

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital is celebrating 10 years in its current location, West of the Ashley River, and its upcoming expansion, with a special event "An Evening Under The Oaks," Sunday, November 12, 2006 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The festivities take place under the oak trees on the hospital's campus. A special program is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Physicians, hospital employees and volunteers will enjoy oysters and barbeque throughout the evening.

"This is a wonderful way to celebrate 10 years of service from our West Ashley location. Time has flown by in the blink of an eye. We have undergone numerous changes and enormous growth, transforming into what we are today thanks to our dedicated staff members, help from the wonderful health care system of which we're a part and continued community support every step of the way," said Allen Carroll, CEO, Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital.

Growing With The Times
St. Francis has served the health and medical needs of people in the Lowcountry for more than 120 years tracing its roots and mission back to 1882 when five Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy opened the St. Francis Infirmary in a small wooden framed building on the corner of Calhoun and Ashley Streets. It was the first Catholic Hospital in South Carolina and the only one in Charleston.

In order to advance and effectively care for the health care needs in this community, the Sisters transferred St. Francis Hospital to the Bon Secours Health System in July 1989. In 1996 the hospital moved from downtown to West Ashley. The new location opened December 16, 1996 and two babies were born on that day. Twenty-two surgeries were performed and 32 people were seen through the Emergency Department.

A Commitment To Caring
Known for quality and compassionate patient care, St. Francis is a 144-bed, state of the art, acute care facility.  The hospital offers several Centers of Excellence to serve the area's health care needs including a Spine Center, Women's and Children's Services and a full-service Emergency Department.
"What started as a small, community hospital has grown in each service that we offer, and expanded to offer new services. This hospital reinvests in its staff, physicians and technology in order to provide the highest level of patient care," said Pennie Peralta, RN, Vice President of Nursing & Senior Nurse Executive.
"In my experience, both as a trustee and as a patient on four occasions, what continues to set St. Francis apart from other hospitals in the area is the care provided by its nurses and staff in support of the Roper St. Francis physicians," said RADM Jim Flatley, Chairman of the Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital Board of Directors. "It's their dedication to carrying on in the spirit of the hospital's founding Sisters that lends absolute validity to our mission statement, 'healing all people with compassion, faith and excellence,'" added Flatley.

As a faith based organization, the hospital's interest in caring for its own is evident. St. Francis has won numerous national awards for employee, physician and patient satisfaction.  St. Francis inpatient satisfaction scores consistently rank in the Top 10 percent in the nation.

"It's not just about the bricks and mortar, it's about the people behind it all who make wonderful things happen here every day," said Carroll.

St. Francis is positioned in one of the highest growth areas in the Lowcountry, and plans for hospital growth and expansion are in the works. St. Francis will embark on a 60-bed expansion that will add approximately 40,0000 square feet, bringing the total number of beds to 204. The building project includes the addition of a fifth floor to the current patient tower as well as the construction of a second floor to the hospital's current Women's Center. This project is tentatively scheduled for completion in 2008.

In 2007, St. Francis will break ground on an Outpatient Cancer Center and Meditation Garden to be located under the oaks.

In October of this year, the hospital launched its Hospitalist Program in which a physician is available around the clock to assist with admissions and other immediate inpatient needs.

Other priorities include increasing the number of nurses who have specialty certification and the number of baccalaureate trained nurses.

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