For more than 57 years, the dream and vision of our founders has lived on with the same spirit and dedication that has taken us from a small community hospital in 1953 to a Health System that was recently recognized in the Top 100 Best in Value Hospitals out of 4,500 in the United States.
Now take a trip back to the early 1940’s as community leaders dared to dream of establishing health care services close to home in their small rural northeast community of Tawas, Michigan. As the dream blossomed, Tawas Hospital Association, under the guidance of Dr. John LeClair, was formed. The association’s goal of raising $300,000 of the $650,000 needed to begin hospital construction was received with tremendous community support. As the project neared completion, the Association approached the Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth to oversee the hospital’s operations.
On March 16, 1953 the Sisters of St. Joseph accepted the challenge without hesitation. Like Tawas Hospital Association, the Sisters shared a deep commitment to caring for the poor, the sick and the injured. They espoused and promoted a philosophy that welcomed each patient with dignity and respect while attending to the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of each person.
The need for Tawas Hospital proved itself early when on the eve of June 8, 1953, two weeks before the scheduled opening, a call was received from the State Police asking Sister Rita Louise to open the hospital doors to tend to emergency injuries from a tornado that had just whipped through the small rural areas of Wilber Township, Sand Lake and Huron National Forest. In minutes the fury of the wind left behind devastation and destruction. Four lives were claimed that night. Fortunately Tawas Hospital, now a part of the community, was able to care for the injured and their families.
To learn more about enriching life with local giving, please contact the Foundation at info@sjhsysfoundation.org or call 989-362-0113.