Holy Family's story begins back in 1945, when the Dominican Sisters realized that Spokane's population was moving northward and so purchased a 40 acre site east of Division for future use. The Sisters, who had first come to the Northwest from Germany in 1925, embraced a healthcare ministry that sought to "restore and maintain health, promote wellness, prevent illness whenever possible, and (help create) a person-centered environment which fosters the healing process."

The Sisters' first facility on their north Spokane site was the Holy Family Convalescent Home, opened in 1960. Volunteers from the community solicited materials including a treadle sewing machine and a harness floor loom to support the facility's program of teaching patients new skills and new ways to do old skills.

Four years later, in August 1964, the Sisters held an open house to celebrate the completion of their newest facility on the northern campus: Holy Family Hospital. Over ten thousand people came, causing a huge traffic jam on Division, Francis and Lidgerwood. The hospital was funded by the Sisters and donations from the community, and cost $3.4 million. Its three floors held four surgery rooms, two delivery rooms, three emergency rooms, diagnostics, pathology, laboratories, physical therapy and an intensive care unit (ICU). It was designed specifically to accommodate the needs of individual patients through classification into five levels of progressive care, and was the first air conditioned structure of its kind in Eastern Washington.

As north Spokane grew, so did Holy Family Hospital (HFH) and its services to the community. In 1965, the School of Radiologic Technology opened, followed a year later by the first hospital-based radiation therapy center of its kind in Spokane. In 1968, a complete mobile emergency life support and cardiopulmonary resuscitation system was installed, enabling hospital staff to initiate life support procedures within 26 seconds. In 1969, HFH was the first hospital in the area to introduce modern methods of infection control. It was also one of the first in the nation to use Unit Dosage in medications, reducing the chance of medication errors and lowering medication costs to the patient.

In the spring of 1970, the Convalescent Home was closed so that hospital services could be expanded. A year later, a $4.6 million construction program began that added two more patient floors, expanded the operating rooms to seven, expanded Emergency Services, and added a Radiology Department.

Holy Family continued to develop innovative programs and services. In 1978, Short-Stay was added for outpatient medical and surgical procedures. In 1979, a new cardiac rehabilitation program opened, the only monitored program at the time in Spokane. In 1983, the Family Maternity Center opened, housing the region's first single-room labor and deliver care where all physician, staff, parent and baby interaction takes place in one room. In 1986, HFH held its first Women's Health Conference. Four years later, in 1987, the Women's Health Center was created to help answer community health questions.

The Emergency Center saw several expansions during the next several years as the area's population continued to grow. In 1990, a new, circular-layout ICU with ten beds was built in response to the increasing need for advanced technology and intensive care services. That same year, in a joint venture with Radiology Associates, the HFH Imaging Center was opened. This 7000 square foot facility added a second CT scanner and MRI to the hospital's existing diagnostic and imaging equipment. In 1991, the Holy Family Cancer Center was enhanced to provide patients with state-of-the-art technology, national protocols, and a full continuum of outpatient and inpatient cancer treatment options under one roof.

Holy Family History Cont'd.....

By 1993, the Dominican Sisters of Spokane had become a small, aging group and so they joined another congregation of sisters in Wisconsin. At that time, they transferred sponsorship of the Dominican Network, which includes Holy Family Hospital and other hospitals in Northeast Washington, to the Sisters of Providence. The Sisters of Providence sponsor Sacred Heart Medical Center among other institutions in the region. This transfer was an expression of the commitment of the Dominican Sisters to assure that quality health care continues to be available to the communities they served.

Holy Family has partnered - and continues to partner - with business, government and civic groups to improve community health status, particularly in its neighborhood and on issues around health care, child care, neighborhood safety and education. As part of its community outreach, HFH developed a Community Benefit Program in 1994 to enhance and promote the health of individuals as well as the community. That same year, the hospital co-founded the Health Improvement Partnership, its mission to improve the overall health of Spokane and its regional community through creative collaboration and resource development. From its founding to August, 2001, the Partnership has brought $8.5 million in development funds to the community.

In 1994, the hospital opened its new Surgery Center, a modern facility designed to ensure the highest quality care in an outpatient setting. It offers patients a cost-effective alternative to traditional surgery in an attractive, caring setting. Also that year, in collaboration with North Side physicians, the Northpointe Medical Center was opened, bringing physicians and medical services together to better serve the health care needs of residents of North Spokane.

Holy Family continues to expand its services and facilities as technology advances and patient needs change. In 1999, the Multiple Sclerosis Center, the only one in the Inland Empire, opened to offer all aspects of care for this disease - from research, diagnosis and treatment to individual and family counseling, rehabilitation therapy and social services. That same year, a new Adult Day Center opened to serve the community's frail and elderly adults.

In 2000, emergency angioplasty services were established. In 2001, the Anticoagulation Clinic was opened, specializing in warfarin (Coumadin) monitoring and dosage adjustment. The Sleep Disorders Center opened as well, offering sophisticated diagnostic techniques to determine which disorders affect sleep.

In 2003 Holy Family Hospital completed renovation of its ambulatory services and imaging departments as well as surrounding support areas. The hospital dedicated its newly expanded Emergency Center including two large truama rooms and the ability to treat up to 65,000 patients a year. The center is the busiest emergency department in eastern Washington. The Holy Family Speech and Hearing Center opened its new state-of-the-art, full service speech pathology and audiology facility, treating children through older adults. The center also provides multi-disciplinary rehabilitation. (occupational, physical and speech therapy) for clients from birth to age 21. Also, in 2003 Inland Imaging signed a 20-year lease with Holy Family, establishing the largest outpatient imaging center in the northwest.

In 2004 Holy Family celebrates its 40th anniversary. Renovation of the first floor of the hospital is complete, increasing patient space and improving access to central areas.

Work continues in the coming years to convert to single patient rooms and to reclaim patient areas that have been switched to non-patient use.

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