St. Elizabeth Health Services

St. Elizabeth Health Services is a private Roman Catholic hospital in Baker City, Oregon, United States. It opened August 24, 1897 as St. Elizabeth Hospital. In 1912, a 115-bed facility was constructed at 2365 4th Street. The hospital moved to its current location on Pocahontas Road in April 1969.HistoryThe Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia opened St. Elizabeth Hospital on August 24, 1897, as requested by Archbishop William H. Gross. The hospital was first operated by just three sisters and was located at the corner of Second and Church streets in the former St. Francis Academy, which had also been operated by the sisters. One group to which St. Elizabeth Hospital provided care was the local gold miners. A kind of health insurance was offered to the miners who paid one dollar a month to the hospital. In return, each miner received complete health care services, which made St. Elizabeth Hospital one of the earliest health maintenance organizations in the country.In 1912, construction began for a new 115-bed facility that was completed in 1915. During the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, many influenza patients were treated at the hospital, and sisters also went to people's homes to care for them.National Register of Historic PlacesThe Tudor Revival style Old St. Elizabeth Hospital (also known as St. Elizabeth Nursing Home and St. Elizabeth Towers) constructed in 1912 was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 21, 1987. Its reference number is 89000047. The building served as a nursing home from 1969 until 1987, when a new nursing home was constructed adjacent to the newer hospital on Pocahontas Road. The old hospital now serves as a condominium and vacation rental complex.