Commemorating 100 years of care in Alton, Illinois
Key takeaways:
- OSF HealthCare is marking 100 years since a group of Sisters from Germany established the hospital that is now OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony's Health Center in Alton, Illinois.
- OSF Saint Anthony's offers comprehensive care in cancer, cardiovascular, urology, diabetes and more.
- Telehealth and clinics in Godfrey and Bethalto, Illinois, provide care for people in their neighborhood.
See photos and videos from the 100th anniversary jubilee on the OSF Saint Anthony's Facebook page.
On December 28, 1923, five Sisters arrived in St. Louis, MO, from Germany with the intention to open a hospital.
It is said those early Sisters, the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, brought only themselves, a bag of oranges and a lot of determination — determination to make Christ’s merciful love more visible.
They would succeed in their goal.
The next year negotiations began for the Sisters to purchase Nazareth Home, a residence for the elderly, in Alton, IL. On April 1, 1925, the Sisters moved to Alton, thus establishing the first Thuiner Franciscan house in the United States, renamed Saint Anthony’s Infirmary - an early iteration of what is now OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center.
OSF Saint Anthony’s is celebrating 100 years in 2025, and despite the hospital’s growth over a century’s worth of technological and societal advances, Sister M. Beata Ziegler, F.S.G.M., Vice President of Operations and Special Projects, OSF Saint Anthony’s, said the care and compassion of those founding Sisters has been a through line for the hospital from its inception to today.
“I think one of the greatest things that we have to offer anyone who walks through our doors is that they will be treated with genuine respect and dignity, as is our underlying mission — to serve with the greatest care and love,” Ziegler said. “I really do believe that people that come to Saint Anthony’s experience that. They know that they’re not a number. They really are cared for as individuals. And on top of that, they will receive very good health care.”
I think one of the greatest things that we have to offer anyone who walks through our doors is that they will be treated with genuine respect and dignity, as is our underlying mission — to serve with the greatest care and love. I really do believe that people that come to Saint Anthony’s experience that. They know that they’re not a number. They really are cared for as individuals. And on top of that, they will receive very good health care.
The advances over the decades are too numerous to name, but even in the four-and-a-half years she’s been in her position with the hospital, Sister Beata said she’s seen it grow in several ways. Ziegler said health care has become more expensive and people’s needs and wants have changed — let alone the changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic — the hospital responded by pushing further into the digital space.
The presence of OSF HealthCare, which OSF Saint Anthony’s joined in 2014, provided the small community hospital with countless telemedicine capabilities that allowed it to reach and serve an even broader audience than it once did.
“As part of OSF HealthCare, we have the blessing of being connected to so many resources,” Ziegler said. “During COVID, the digital health care space exploded. We’ve really tried to become more a part of that.”
Despite its religious roots, one misconception of OSF Saint Anthony’s is that one needs to be similarly religious to receive care at the hospital. Ziegler said that on the contrary, all are welcome — another pillar on which the hospital was founded.
“It’s always been, whoever comes to us in need,” she said.
The hospital offers comprehensive cancer, cardiovascular, urology, diabetes services and more, and has received awards and recognition from numerous medical organizations. The OSF Moeller Cancer Center in Alton opened in 2019, and Ziegler said they’ve made a concerted effort to strengthen their oncology services and cardiology program, among others, in recent years.
A medical stabilization program to help patients fight substance abuse issues is one of the newest programs rolled out by the hospital. OSF Saint Anthony’s teamed with New Vision withdrawal management service in 2023 to provide the program, including an inpatient stabilization stay to help adults deal with drug, alcohol and other substance-related issues.
“If you look at our community health needs assessment (CHNA), that is always one of the big needs in the Alton area,” Ziegler said.
The hospital’s reach doesn’t end with its main campus at 1 Saint Anthony’s Way in Alton, either. Along with the telemedicine offerings, OSF Saint Anthony’s also has a Godfrey location that features OSF Prompt Care, primary care and pediatrics, and a Bethalto location with primary care physicians as well.
“All of those pieces are part of us,” Ziegler said.
As OSF Saint Anthony’s looks ahead to another 100 years, providing care with love and concern for community will remain at the forefront — regardless of specialty, location or circumstance, just as those founding Sisters would have wanted.
“Even before we became part of OSF HealthCare, we called our employees ‘Mission Partners’ because we believe that they are just that — they work with us to be able to have this Mission move forward,” Ziegler said. “We’ve always been here to serve those most in need, those who are hurting — and that foundation has never changed.
“That’s the beauty of what we do here at OSF Saint Anthony’s. It may look different, but the heart that’s behind it all is the same.”
About OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center: A 49-bed Rural Health designated acute care hospital in Alton, Illinois, OSF Saint Anthony’s serves the residents of Madison, Jersey and Macoupin counties. It is home to OSF Moeller Cancer Center, which provides the latest diagnostic tools and treatment for patients in a relaxing environment. OSF Saint Anthony’s also provides 24-hour access to a physician-staffed emergency department, in addition to cardiovascular, neurology, pulmonology, surgical, rehabilitation services and more. OSF Saint Anthony’s is fully accredited by the Joint Commission for Healthcare Facilities, American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer, American College of Radiology, American Heart Association, IDPH and TJC Primary Stroke Center. OSF Saint Anthony’s is part of OSF HealthCare – an integrated health system with 17 hospitals in Illinois and Michigan and robust Innovation and Digital Health divisions that provide access to specialty care and remote monitoring, helping people receive the care they need close to home. OSF HealthCare was founded by The Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis.
OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis. Headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, OSF HealthCare has 17 hospitals – 11 acute care, five critical access, one continuing care – with 2,305 licensed beds throughout Illinois and Michigan. OSF employs more than 26,000 Mission Partners across 160+ locations and includes OSF OnCall, the digital health operating entity which offers a hospital-at-home. Advances in health care transformation take place through OSF Innovation and OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois, the third largest pediatric hospital in Illinois, cares for our smallest patients. In addition, OSF has two colleges of nursing; operates OSF Home Care Services, an extensive network of home health and hospice services; owns Pointcore, Inc., comprised of health care-related businesses; OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization; and OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups. OSF HealthCare has been recognized by Fortune as one of the most innovative companies in the country. More at osfhealthcare.org.