City Salutes Sister Boniface and St. Alexius Medical Center
by Marie Arceo, KFYR TV
Posted on 6/25/2010
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She’s known to some as the little golden sister with the big golden heart.
“She had a strong energy and she had a way of dealing with people that made them want to do it better,” said Sister Susan Lardy, Vice President of Mission Effectiveness at St. Alexius Medical Center.
Sister Boniface Timmins served as the hospital’s administrator for more than 40 years from 1892 to 1937. She was a disciplinarian and had a vision: to make sure patients always got the appropriate care. She also maintained good relationships with the business community, which some say was hard for a woman to do during that time.
“She didn’t ever hesitate or hold back because she was a woman, and that was most unusual in her day. For a woman to have that kind of energy to move into the business section of town, ” said Lardy.
Boniface is credited with installing a central heating system for the hospital, which used to heat rooms with coal stoves. Under her term, St. Alexius moved from operating out of the old Lamborn Hotel in downtown Bismarck to its present location in 1915. The hospital also started a nursing school.
“Nursing care has especially changed, so that the nurses are much more able, much more qualified to do the kind of work that they do with the technology that we have at St. Alexius,” said Lardy.
She was there for other milestone moments, like when St. Alexius celebrated its 50th birthday and when the hospital received its first car. Which is why some say no story about St. Alexius would be complete without remembering Sister Boniface Timmins and her contributions.
(First Story of Three)
Saluting St. Alexius Medical Center
by Marie Arceo, KFYR TV
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.