St. Anthony's Medical Center - History

History

In 1900, the Franciscan Sisters of Mary opened St. Anthony's Hospital at Grand and Chippewa in south St. Louis. The facility was named after St. Anthony of Padua who patterned his life and healing ministry after the example set by Jesus Christ.

Following St. Louis' first polio epidemic in 1946, St. Anthony's became the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis's (NFIP) designated Midwest Center for polio treatment. In 1947, convalescent polio children under the auspices of the NFIP, later known as the March of Dimes, and its city and county chapters were brought to St. Anthony's. St. Anthony's became one of the country's largest polio rehabilitation centers, treating more than 100 polio patients per day. In 1954, the incidence of new cases of polio tapered off and the hospital began offering twice-yearly Salk polio vaccine clinics.

In 1967, the Franciscan Sisters transferred ownership and control of the hospital to a board of community leaders, making St. Anthony's the first Catholic hospital in the St. Louis area to be administered by a lay board. In 1975, St. Anthony's Medical Center opened at its present location at 10010 Kennerly Road and remains the only hospital located in south St. Louis County.

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