Five Utah hospitals have been renamed in honor of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. The tribute commemorates the sisters’ pioneering ministry and vision for public health in the state.
The change was announced after CommonSpirit Health’s May 1, 2023, acquisition of the hospitals and 35 area medical clinics. A statement by Centura Health, managing entity for the facilities, said the deal marks “the return of faith-based health care to the region.”
A legacy of compassionate health care
After serving as nurses in the U.S. Civil War, the Holy Cross sisters carried their compassionate care to the frontier West. In 1875, they established Holy Cross Hospital, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to care for railroad workers and miners.
Over decades, the Congregation widened its net of care and services to address the unmet needs of the people they encountered. They started a nurse training school and opened clinics to reach remote communities. And as Holy Cross Health System, they incorporated two additional hospitals into their medical network.
Innovating to serve unmet needs
Then in the early 1990s, health care reform and shifting community needs called the sisters in a new direction. The Congregation sold the health system to HealthTrust, Inc., in 1994. That same year, the sisters created Holy Cross Ministries (HCM), an innovative new ministry to reach the underserved and under-insured in the area. HCM assists migrant communities in the region, providing legal immigration support, child and family development programming, and education, health and counseling services.
Sisters invited as honored guests
Sisters Suzanne Brennan, CSC, and Joan Marie Steadman, CSC, were invited to the May 1 media event. Sister Suzanne served as vice president of Holy Cross Hospital and director of Holy Cross Ministries. Sister Joan Marie was vice president of Mission Services for the hospital. At the organizer’s request, the sisters shared the history of the Congregation’s health care ministry in Salt Lake City.
“Our caregivers in Utah have built a rich legacy of high-quality, compassionate care that has spanned generations,” Peter D. Banko, Centura Health President & CEO was quoted in the event release. The statement added that the new conglomerate “will reinvigorate purpose- and values-driven health care in Utah.”
The newly renamed hospitals are:
- Holy Cross Hospital – Davis (formerly known as Davis Hospital and Medical Center) in Layton
- Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley (formerly known as Jordan Valley Medical Center) in West Jordan
- Holy Cross Hospital – Jordan Valley West (formerly known as Jordan Valley Medical Center-West Valley Campus) in West Valley City
- Holy Cross Hospital – Mountain Point (formerly known as Mountain Point Medical Center) in Lehi
- Holy Cross Hospital – Salt Lake (formerly known as Salt Lake Regional Medical Center) in Salt Lake City
The medical group also will be called Holy Cross Medical Group.