The history of Saint Joseph's
In 1880, four sisters with only 50 cents in hand and a mission in mind founded what has become one of the nation’s leading hospitals in clinical and nursing excellence. A century later, a volunteer group of Saint Joseph’s doctors, nurses and support staff – with tackle boxes in hand and the same mission in mind – reached out to Atlanta’s homeless and administered compassionate care.
A few years later, this volunteer-run “street program” evolved into Saint Joseph’s Mercy Care Services, which is staffed with nurses, physicians and outreach workers, and is funded in part by gifts and grants acquired by Saint Joseph’s Mercy Foundation, which was established in 1982 to support the Mercy Mission. Today, Mercy Care Services operates a fleet of vans, and one fully equipped mobile clinic, as well as fixed sites on Buford Highway and Decatur Street in downtown Atlanta. The mobile units, which provide services at 10 different locations throughout metro Atlanta, offer care not only to the homeless, but to the poor, the uninsured, the underserved and emerging immigrant populations.
This spirit of giving of time, talent, leadership, money and ideas – at great sacrifice, in the face of uncertain times – has been the hallmark of the entire Saint Joseph’s community, including physicians, nurses, support staff, volunteers, trustees and donors.
Because of the enormous contributions of others, Saint Joseph’s has grown and thrived for 125 years. Today, it is an award-winning specialty medical complex, offering state-of-the-art care in diverse “centers of excellence.”
