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Description

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As an awardwinning nationally recognized healthcare provider Nazareth Hospital offers outstanding diagnostic medical surgical and therapeutic care with stateoftheart technology With the dedication of 1200 employees and 350 physicians and specialists Nazareth Hospital treats patients and their families with respect and compassion while providing health care services in response to the changing needs of our community

With more than 200 inpatient beds and a host of outpatient services Nazareth Hospital has a broad range of specialties to meet patients health care needs

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History

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History
The Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth was founded in Rome in 1875 by Frances Siedliska Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd In 1885 Mother Mary and ten other Sisters came to the United States to promote their mission to families through education and health care

Eventually the Sisters saw the need for a hospital in Northeast Philadelphia and in 1934 they began sending members of the congregation to hospitals throughout the country to train to provide health care The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth with the purpose of perpetuating the healing ministry of Jesus Christ founded Nazareth Hospital in 1940 On March 9 of that year Nazareth Hospital opened with 116 beds and at a cost of 800000 This was financed solely by the Sisters their families and friends

The first patient at Nazareth Hospital was greeted by a dedicated group of pioneering women skilled in nursing dietary services pharmacy and technical support services Their example of dedication and compassion has served as a benchmark for those Congregation members and lay employees who have followed in their path

The hospital grew and served the varied health needs of the surrounding areas with programs ranging from maternity and medicalsurgical units to radiation therapy rehabilitation and a transitional care unit Recognizing the necessity of partnering to strengthen the base on which the hospital was founded and of maintaining the Catholic identity of Nazareth Hospital the Sisters transferred ownership of Nazareth Hospital to the Franciscan Health System on March 1 1995 In 1996 through the Franciscan Health System Nazareth Hospital became a member of Catholic Health Initiatives

In 2001 Catholic Health Initiatives transferred ownership of several facilities Nazareth Hospital among them Catholic Health East CHE Through this transfer Nazareth became a member of Mercy Health System a member of CHE