St. John's Regional Medical Center

St. John's Regional Medical Center is a hospital located in Oxnard, California in the United States, and is operated by Dignity Health, along with its sister hospital, St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo, California. The hospital was founded in 1912. St. John's Regional Medical Center and St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital offer comprehensive medical services, including 24-hour emergency medical and surgical services and care, cancer and oncology care and support, cardiovascular care, community outreach and screenings, diagnostic imaging services, laboratory services, maternity and women's services, neonatal intensive care, palliative care, patient and family education, rehabilitation services, spine and orthopedic care, weight loss surgery, wound healing and oxygen therapy, and more. Together, St. John's Regional Medical Center and St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital represent the largest acute-care health organization in Ventura County. St. John's hospitals serve all of Ventura County and beyond, including the cities of Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura, and Somis.Darren Lee serves as president and CEO of both St. John’s Pleasant Valley and St. John’s Regional Medical Center.HistoryIn 1827 in Dublin, Ireland, Catherine McAuley, a wealthy Irish heiress, began caring for poor women and children. She wanted her service to the poor to endure, so she founded the Sisters of Mercy in 1831. The organization expanded to the United States in 1843, and by 1854, the Sisters of Mercy had settled in San Francisco, California.In 1911, community leaders in Oxnard, California approached Reverend John S. Laubacher, pastor of Santa Clara Parish in Oxnard, out of concern that healthcare services were not available to meet the needs of the thousands of residents who had settled on the Oxnard Plain. At the request of Rev. Laubacher, the Sisters of Mercy, who by now had expanded their mission to Southern California, were invited to come from El Centro, California to Oxnard to establish St. John's Hospital (now known as St. John's Regional Medical Center). J.A. Driffel, manager of Oxnard's sugar beet factory, and Rev. Laubacher led the delegation to welcome the Sisters of Mercy from El Centro.