The Beacon of Hope

For more than 156 years, the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine have shown their true devotion to healing, by serving the unmet needs of children and families in Northeast Ohio and South Carolina. They continue their tradition of healing the whole person through a range of human service organizations, including hospitals, educational programs and grantmaking foundations with a special preference for the most underserved.

The Sisters' health care ministry — the Sisters of Charity Health System — has cherished an extensive history of innovation and quality. In fact, it performed the first open heart surgery in the Midwest at St. Vincent Charity Hospital.Above all, the Sisters continue to maintain that health care is not a privilege, but a right available to all. And they serve all who come to them, providing almost $30 million in uncompensated hospital care each year.

The Sisters of Charity Health System has received national recognition for its cutting-edge health care services in the areas of cardiovascular care, orthopedics and other services.

But the System is so much more than a health care organization. Since its inception a decade ago, the System's three grant-making foundations have invested $108 million in the communities they serve.

"Our health system is unique," says Susanna Krey, senior vice president of foundations and marketing for the Sisters of Charity Health System. "While we are a health care organization, we also offer a full spectrum of services to heal the whole person as an individual, as a member of a family and as a part of the community."

Despite its breadth and distinctiveness, the System has been a well-kept secret until now. On Aug. 28, the organization launched its new corporate identification, a new logo and a shorter name.

The new radiant cross logo reflects that true devotion to healing and inclusion that the System extends out to the community, acting as a beacon of hope.

Today, the System is a diverse Catholic organization consisting of five state-of-the-art hospitals; three foundations with significant community initiatives; elder care facilities and direct service in health, housing and education.

 Some of the surprising statistics of the Sisters of Charity Health System include:
• accommodating nearly 180,000 emergency department visits annually,
• serving as the leading cardiovascular center in South Carolina,
• establishing 10 fatherhood organizations across the state of South Carolina, serving nearly 10,000 families,
• increasing the availability of affordable housing by approximately 4,000 units,
• helping more than 260 men recover from acute illness and find permanent housing,
• providing long-term care for more than 300 elderly residents, and
• enhancing the quality of early child care by increasing the number of accredited centers from one to more than 50 in Stark County.

According to Krey, when one examines such outcomes, the Sisters of Charity Health System is undeniably different from the traditional health care systems to which it is often compared.

"We are unique in scope and breadth and diversity and, as a faith-based organization, we provide a considerable amount of safety net services to the community," says Krey.