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As we review the history of Mercy Hospital, we gain a new insight and understanding of its distinct personality, which has been shaped and energized by the persons who have invested themselves in its life through these many years. Since the very first day of existence, Mercy’s has been called to a mission of compassionate service.
As we review this history, we are reminded that the events of the past provide the grounding for the values that we cherish today. Our commitment to compassion, respect for life, care of the poor, and hospitality stems directly from the Sisters of Mercy as they lived these values over the years and to the present time.
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Williston began as a ranch established by Robert Matthews some time after 1880 at the mouth of the Little Muddy River. It was there that Matthews opened a post office, a general supply store and, of course, a tavern.
The coming of the railroad in June 1887 moved the thriving little community further to the west, locating at the present site of Williston. James J. Hill, founder of the Great Northern Railroad, foresaw a flourishing town and named it Williston in honor of his close friend, Daniel Willis James.
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Prior to 1896, the nearest doctor was the army doctor stationed at Fort Buford, a distance of 26 miles by team and buckboard. During the "black diphtheria" epidemic of the mid-1890s many children died before a doctor could be brought from the fort. Local pioneer women assisted with childbirth and were instructed in the use of home remedies which were passed from family to family as cures for common ailments.
One of the first doctors to open a permanent practice in Williston was Dr. E.J. Hagan, Sr., who began his practice in 1905. After 1908 a large number of doctors opened their practices in Williston, some remaining for only a short time.
Hospitals of two or three beds were set up in the larger residences of the town by the individual physicians. They often taught local women the rudiments of nursing so they could attend to the needs of their patients.
When the flu epidemic struck the young community in 1918, these makeshift arrangements proved altogether inadequate to cope with this extraordinary emergency. Cots were speedily set up in all available public buildings to care for the victims. Every able-bodied citizen was recruited to help nurse the sick. No trained nurses were available but one young girl who had received some training in Minnesota offered her services. In a few days she too was down with the flu and died in a short time. The death rate from the epidemic was devastating to the community and lent fresh urgency to the need to establish a modern hospital for Williston.
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By 1920, a group of local citizens had mounted an organized effort to open a hospital. Dr. E.J. Hagan, Sr. along with Father Edward O'Neill and Mr. W.S. Davidson, Sr. were the prime movers in the effort to bring the Sisters of Mercy to Williston.
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On September 12, 1920, four Sisters of Mercy arrived by train from Devils Lake to undertake the opening of Mercy Hospital. They were Sisters Mary Camillus, Patricia, Matilda and Aloysius. They were met at the station by Father E. P. O'Neill and Dr. E.J. Hagan, Sr. Miss Mary O'Neill, sister of the Pastor, invited them to have supper at the parish house after which they were taken to LaDue Court where they established their residence. The following morning the Sisters attended mass at St. Joseph's Parish and were again guests of Miss O'Neill who invited them for all their meals until they were able to set up housekeeping for themselves.
The building which was to become the new health care facility was described as "a three-story brick structure, fire-proof and modern in every respect. There are large, airy corridors running through the center of each of the three floors. The building faces east, and across the front there are double sun parlors on each floor opening off the private rooms and wards."
With marvelous energy and determination, the four Sisters set about the task of transforming the building into the new Mercy Hospital of Williston. The new hospital provided accommodations for 20 acute care patient beds, an operating room, and a few ancillary services. Patients with contagious diseases were cared for in a separate building, modernly equipped and supervised by the sisters.
On October 5, Mercy Hospital stood ready to accept its first patient. There were five local doctors and two dentists on the medical staff, and the personnel consisted of four Sisters of Mercy together with five young women who were interested in becoming student nurses.
A long-held dream of this city of 5,000 people had finally materialized. At the formal opening ceremonies on October 16 the citizens had first-hand opportunity to visit and inspect the premises. Sister M. Camillus O'Brien was the first administrator serving in that office from 1920 to 1928.
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Within a month after the arrival of the Sisters in Williston, young women began to present themselves as candidates for a nursing education program. It was not until 1923 that the formal program for registered nurse education was ready to open. The first seven student nurses graduated in 1926. Enrollment increased by leaps and bounds, and the school provided an outstanding quality of nursing personnel not only to Mercy Hospital but to many other health care facilities across the state.
Prior to acceptance into the program a student nurse had to complete a three month period of probation by working in the hospital. The hospital furnished room and board and paid the student a monthly allowance of $4, which could be used for personal needs. Upon satisfactory completion of three years of instruction, the students were eligible to write the North Dakota Board of Registration exams for nurses.
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By May of 1929 it became evident that an expansion of Mercy Hospital was imperative. With the help of an advisory council which was formed to provide guidance and support, the Sisters of Mercy took formal action to obtain a loan of $90,000 secured by a mortgage on the hospital property. Eventually an additional amount of $30,000 was needed to complete the expansion project. New construction added a fourth floor to existing structure and provided space for 30 new patient beds bringing the total capacity of the hospital to 50 beds.
On February 1, 1930, a Lutheran Hospital known as Good Samaritan Hospital was opened in Williston adding a second 27-bed hospital. During the 1940s, the medical staff of Mercy Hospital continued to attract new members, among them Dr. E.J. Hagan, Jr., in 1945 and Dr. D.E. Skjei in 1949.
In response to rapid growth in the community, the Sisters of Mercy decided on a major expansion/renovation plan for the hospital. On December 15, 1953, the Sisters of Mercy witnessed the dedication of the new addition.
Sister Alban DePlazes served as Administrator from 1957 – 1963. The ranks of the medical staff were expanded by new members, among whom were Dr. G.E. Ellis, Dr. D.R. Strinden, Dr. J.M. Keller, and various others.
In the early 1960s distress signals were raised for the oil industry. Succeeding events devastated the prevailing optimism of the community and quickly eroded the health of the local economy.
The two hospitals also experienced dire consequences by way of a drastic drop in occupancy. August 1966 necessitated consolidation of services between the two hospitals. All obstetrics services were moved to Good Samaritan Hospital, and in turn, Mercy was the sole provider for pediatric services.
In 1969, Sister Camille Prodinski, who had held the office of Administrator since 1963, resigned. She was succeeded by Mr. V. Robert Arts, who was the first lay administrator of Mercy Hospital.
As the 1970s progressed, both hospitals experienced increasing stress as a result of the inadequacies of their physical structures. In the absence of a clear mandate to either one of the existing hospitals to speak to the needs of the community, the Williston Chamber of Commerce formed a public action committee to facilitate discussion among members of the health care community and local citizens. The goal was to find a suitable solution to the mounting hospital crisis. The chamber committee formulated its discussions around the question of centralizing hospital services in one facility adequate to meet the needs of the entire area. With this in view, both hospitals were advised to consider a buy-sell proposition.
On February 19, 1970, the Board of Good Samaritan Hospital responded to the community group that “a buy-sell arrangement is not in the best interests of the community.” The Board suggested formation of a community hospital without any religious affiliation.
By May 20, 1970, the Board of Mercy Hospital, through its Administrator, advised the Good Samaritan Hospital Board that Mercy Hospital would consider phasing out its operation over a period of three to four years, provided that the Good Samaritan Corporation take similar action. The Sisters of Mercy extended a sell out offer to any group of entity willing to assume the existing liabilities.
Should it not prove feasible for another party to provide a hospital for Williston, the Sisters of Mercy expressed willingness to consider planning for a new medical center. The planning process culminated on June 1, 1972, with the signing of an agreement between Mercy Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital that Mercy Hospital would precede with constructing a new 100-bed facility for the Williston area.
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A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the new site on October 2, 1972. As part of the agreement for consolidation of the hospitals, the entire Good Samaritan staff was integrated into the Mercy Hospital staff. This brought the Mercy staff to 250 FTEs. All those joining the staff from Good Samaritan were absorbed with no loss of pay and no loss of benefits or seniority.
On April 20, 1974, the new Mercy Hospital was dedicated with some 200 people in attendance. Mr. Ray McIntee, President of the Mercy Hospital Board, was master of ceremonies. Transfer of patients to the new Mercy Hospital took place on April 24, 1974.
In 1975, there were 19 physicians serving the Williston area, including specialists in family medicine, surgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, radiology, internal medicine, pathology, and obstetrics/gynecology. An addition of 14 new hospital beds was completed during the latter part of 1976.
During the year 1979, the hospital Auxiliary sponsored its first production of Cardiac Capers, which was dedicated to raising funds for the purchase of cardiac equipment.
In 1981, a review of the ER workload showed that usage had doubled since 1980. Other strains on the hospital facilities called for the institution of one-day surgery, the addition of 38 general acute beds, and expansion of diagnostic services. A CT scanner was installed in the fall of 1981. Dr. Salem S. Shahin joined staff in urology, and Dr. Don Pearl opened a practice in vascular and thoracic surgery.
Orthopaedic Surgery was added as a new service was added when Dr. Frank Ise joined the active medical staff on December 1, 1982.
In 1983, the Mercy organization named Mercy Medical Center the parent corporation with the capability of developing subsidiary relationships, which included Mercy Hospital, Mercy Recovery Center, Mercy Medical Foundation, and MedQuest, Inc.
The event that highlighted the year of 1985 was the completion and dedication of the newly renovated areas of the hospital. Hundreds of people were given tours of the Emergency Room, 19-bed obstetrical unit, 29-bed medical/surgical addition, new ICU unit, centralized admitting-switchboard area, renovated pediatric area, and new chemical dependency inpatient unit.
In 1988 two new services were added to Mercy Hospital. The first being the new Renal Dialysis Unit, which was developed cooperatively with St. Alexius Hospital in Bismarck. The second new service was the Mercy Swing Bed Unit.
The early 1990s saw the addition of Home Care and Hospice to the growing number of services offered by Mercy Medical Center. Cardiac Rehab was also started in 1993.
Cancer Treatment became a major part of Mercy’s outpatient services in the 90s. An oncology clinic to provide chemotherapy was started in 1993, and the Leonard P. Nelson Family Cancer Treatment Center opened on April 17, 1996 providing radiation therapy as well as chemotherapy.
Mercy acquired Craven-Hagan Clinic in 1996. Today Craven-Hagan Clinic offers the services of five physicians and one nurse practitioner specializing in family practice and internal medicine.
Mercy Wellness Center opened in 1996 to provide outpatient physical therapy, sports medicine services, and a community health club. In 1998 the Wellness Center moved into an expanded location in downtown Williston.
The Sisters of Mercy transferred ownership Mercy Medical Center to Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) in 1996. CHI was formed in 1995 when three national healthcare systems (Catholic Health Corporation of Omaha, Nebraska; Franciscan Health System of Aston, Pennsylvania; and Sisters of Charity Health Care Systems of Cincinnati, Ohio) consolidated. The new organization included 61 hospitals and 50 long-term care facilities in 20 states.
In September of 2000 Mercy’s OB Unit moved to a newly remodeled wing of the hospital to offer labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum rooms to provide single room maternity care.
The years of 2002 and 2003 brought about a technology overhaul of Mercy’s Imaging Service Department. Purchases of new radiology equipment included MRI, 16-slice CT, Nuclear Medicine, and 3D Ultrasound. IMRT and BAT were also added to the Cancer Treatment Center in 2004.
In 2003, through a Mission & Ministry Grant provided by CHI, Mercy began spearheading a community coalition, which has become known as Healthy Williston . . . Healthy Youth. This coalition’s vision is to foster asset development for the youth in our community.
In cooperation with St. Alexius Medical Center in Bismarck, an expanded renal dialysis unit was opened at Mercy in April 2004. This expansion increased the availability of dialysis services to meet a growing need in our community.
In 2005, Mercy celebrated 85 years of serving our community. While health care has changed significantly over the course of time, the one thing that hasn’t changed is Mercy’s commitment to providing the people of Williston and the surrounding region with high quality care and compassionate service.
Excerpts from Mercy History, published September 25, 1989; complied by Sister Anita Wolf and composed by Sheri Kallevig. Updated July 2005.
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