Saluting St. Alexius Medical Center
by Marie Arceo KFYR TV
Posted on 5/12/2010
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On May 5, 1885, the sisters of St. Benedict of St. Joseph, Minn,, responded to a call to provide health care in Bismarck and Mandan.
“Back then they were nuns and were not formally trained to provide medical care, so it was a learning process for everyone involved,” said Julie Jeske, director of marketing.
The initial facility occupied the Lamborn Hotel in downtown Bismarck. Abbot Alexius of St. John’s Abbey purchased the hotel for $30,000. It was converted into a hospital, and renamed St. Alexius. It had 15 beds and a coal stove in each room. That first year, 65 people were admitted into the hospital at a cost of $1 per day.
“They not only started delivering health care, they also took it to the point where they realized, that in order to continue, they were going to need to start a school and so they taught people how to deliver the care that they had learned by practice,” said Jeske.
In 1915, the hospital was moved to its present location and it still operates under the guidance of the Benedictine Sisters. They still play an active role in carrying out the hospital’s mission, some serving as board members.
“They’re the roots of which St. Alexius has been formed and we will continue to use them as our guide as we move forward to the next 125 years,” said Jeske.
Now the hospital has multi-generational patients, which shows that loyalty and dedication go a long way.
