St. Mary’s Hospital/Emergency Hospital of Kankakee County

First hospital in the area.

Background information of how the hospital was built and created. 

The construction of the Emergency Hospital was finally being built. It was located on West Merchant Street and North Fifth Avenue in Kankakee County.  Father Ambrose Granger, the pastor of St. Rose church was the person who came up with the idea. He wanted it to serve all the people of Kankakee. During the first year, the hospital admitted 101 patients and 69 operations were performed. 

Timeline of how the hospital had changed over the years.

 In 1897, Emergency Hospital opened in Kankakee, IL. 

In 1903, the hospital was too small to serve the community.

In 1909,  the hospital did add additions to the original part of the building. 

The hospital tripled capacity. They installed elevators, and a new operating room in less than fifteen years.

In 1922, the hospital added three stories on Fifth Avenue and a new wing was also added. 

In 1925, The hospital’s name was changed to St. Mary Hospital. It also has changed the way that they operated from a growth development emergency facility to a full service hospital. 

During the Great Depression, the hospital had a decrease in the number of patients, and they were unable to pay their staff. 

In 1947, the hospital celebrated its Golden Jubilee, which was half a century of operating. It has treated 80,081 patients since opening.

In 1959, a five-story wing opened.

In 1960, there was a comprehensive study to help assess future hospital requirements. 

In 1963, dedications were made to the house that helped build a larger chapel, sister’s community room, and office were added.

In 1976, the West Paviallon dedicated the largest expansion project in the hospital’s history, doubling its area. Also, the hospital added a heliport, a  trauma center, and new equipment.

In 1977, St. Mary;s received a two-year accreditation award by the Joint Commission on accreditation of hospitals. 

On January 1, 1994, they used $15 million in additions to create and redesign new projects for the hospital on the South end. A new surgical intensive care unit, increased number of beds, and added 5000 square feet to the SICU. The old SICU is the new outpatient surgery unit. 

In 1997, the hospital dropped social security for better benefits. It was one of the first hospitals in the country to drop from the program. The hospital also changed its name to Provena St. Mary’s. 

In 2022, the hospital changed its name to Ascension St. Mary of Kankakee.