Letter to the Editor 10-28-22

To the Editor,
Congratulations to the administration and staff of North Central Kansas Medical Center. This is a significant occasion for Concordia!
There was such a need for healthcare in 1903 when the Sisters of St. Joseph built our first hospital, Saint Joseph Hospital on East Fifth Street (currently Manna House of Prayer), they saw patients needing emergency care several months before the hospital actually opened.
When it did open in September 1903 the local paper, the Concordia Kansan wrote, “It has been a dream of the people of town for years...to have a fine hospital here. The dream has been realized, it is now a demonstrated fact. … it is a great thing for Concordia.”
Eventually, there was a need for a more modern medical facility. The Sisters of St. Joseph dedicated the new 150-bed hospital on Highland Drive on March 6, 1951.
In the dedication Mother Mary Chrysostom said, “In building this hospital it is the purpose of the Sisters of Saint Joseph to provide a means of caring for the sick and suffering members of Christ's Mystical Body according to the best standards of hospital care in our present generation. … May this hospital serve its clientele long and well, ever fulfilling the purpose for which it is now built.”
Just as in 1951, in recent years there has been an increasing need for a more modern facility that could incorporate medical advances that were unimaginable decades ago. It, too, has been a dream for many people for years. We are confident that the new medical center will bring with it the dedicated, patient-focused care, expertly delivered by skilled medical providers and knowledgeable staff, that patients have appreciated through the decades.
The Sisters of St. Joseph congratulate the people who made this dream a reality and promise our support and prayers. Indeed, “It is a great thing for Concordia.”
Jean Rosemarynoski, CSJ
President, Sisters of St. Joseph