CHRISTUS Health Celebrates 20 Years of Growth

During February, CHRISTUS Health celebrates its 20 ^th anniversary through prayer and service to celebrate its journey and to commemorate the creation of the system. The anniversary is a chance to honor the organization’s many successes and growth over the last two decades.
 

Bishop Claude Marie Dubuis

The CHRISTUS Health legacy of hope and healing truly began in 1866 when three Sisters responded to a call from Bishop Claude Dubuis and immigrated to Texas with a mission: to provide relief to the sick and infirmed in the name of Jesus Christ. Their travels ministering to those most in need resulted in the establishment of two congregations committed to extending God’s healing presence.
 
Twenty years ago, on Feb. 1, 1999, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of Houston and San Antonio planted a seed when they joined their health care ministries and formed CHRISTUS Health to grow their ability to meet the needs of the communities they served. In 2016, the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth joined CHRISTUS Health as its third sponsor, further strengthening the CHRISTUS mission, “to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.”
  CHRISTUS Health’s healing ministry is now comprised of more than 600 health care services, including community hospitals, hundreds of clinics, outpatient centers, health care services and important health care ventures. The CHRISTUS Health presence and signature purple cross can now be seen throughout hundreds of cities in the United States and Latin America, employing more than 45,000 Associates with more than 15,000 physicians on medical staffs. In 1999, Spohn Health System in Corpus Christi, TX joined the CHRISTUS Health family, linking the South Texas hospitals to a network of support throughout the region. This spring, CHRISTUS Spohn is set to open its new Patient Care Tower at CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital- Shoreline, a multi-million dollar project 5 years in the making.  
 
“Ranked among the 10 largest Catholic health systems, the CHRISTUS Health ministry over the past 20 years has continued to flourish,” explained Ernie Sadau, CHRISTUS Health president and CEO. “As we look to the future of CHRISTUS Health and all the goals we have set to provide the highest quality care to the communities we serve, we know our group of engaged and committed Associates will ensure that we reach these new horizons.”
 
It is a special calling to commit one’s life to the CHRISTUS Health mission of hope and healing, said Steve Kazanjian, CHRISTUS Spohn Vice President of Mission Integration. That calling has included more than 45,000 nurses, doctors, Associates and volunteers throughout the health system’s 20-year history, a legacy that continues to grow.
 
“It is through prayer and in gratitude that we offer ourselves in selfless service to others, as we continue the work that our Sponsors began so many years ago. It has been twenty years since CHRISTUS Health was formed, and we look forward to many more years of extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ,” Kazanjian said.