Greenville's downtown St. Francis hospital celebrates 90 years. Here's how it has evolved.

It’s not surprising that much has changed in the 90 years since the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor founded what is now Bon Secours St. Francis Health System in Greenville.

But much has remained the same.

“They had a mission. And the mission hasn't really changed. In essence, it's been the same for 90 years,” says Matt Caldwell, President of Bon Secours St. Francis in Greenville.

The mission statement: “To extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of our communities and bring good help to those in need, especially people who are poor, dying and underserved.”

“That hasn't changed, and I don't think that will change for another 90 years. That's who we are,” says Caldwell, who has been at Bon Secours St. Francis since the spring of 2019. “I start every day thinking, 'How do we extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus?'”

The non-profit healthcare system embraces its Catholic roots; a statue of Christ greets visitors and patients at the entrances to its two hospitals. The downtown hospital, off Dunbar Street, has 245 beds and an emergency department. St. Francis Eastside, on Commonwealth Drive, has 93 beds and an emergency department.

“In my estimation, the Catholic Church has done a great job with healthcare,” says Caldwell, whose father was a Baptist preacher and missionary. “They really go into underserved areas. And that's to be commended.”

The Sisters of St. Francis purchased what was then Emma Moss Booth Hospital from the Salvation Army for $55,000 in February of 1932; they saw their first patient in July of the same year. A new hospital replaced the original structure in 1971.

During an anniversary celebration two weeks ago, the cornerstone of that first hospital was unveiled as part of the newly renovated exterior of the downtown hospital.

The Sisters of St. Francis who placed that cornerstone at their hospital in 1932 transferred ownership in 2000 to the Bon Secours Health System, founded by the Sisters of Bon Secours. The name changed to Bon Secours St. Francis Health System.

In 2018, Bon Secours merged with Mercy Health, founded by the Sisters of Mercy.

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The healthcare system’s name and mission didn’t change with that merger.

But medical care has never stopped evolving.

In addition to the original hospital and the Eastside hospital, opened in 1991, Bon Secours St. Francis has an outpatient cancer center and a neuroscience center currently operating at its Millennium Campus on Innovation Drive, along with an ambulatory surgery center under construction next door; a freestanding emergency department in Simpsonville; 67 physician practices; 31 surgery suites; and eight urgent care centers that operate as AFC Urgent Care – Bon Secours.

Two electrophysiology labs (for patients with irregular heart rhythms) will open in May; three rooms will be added to the Simpsonville emergency facility; and 200 patient rooms were renovated at the downtown hospital. The emergency department downtown was renovated and expanded in 2021.

The project was prescient. In 2020, the emergency department had an average of 50,000 visits per year.

“We had almost 93,000 ED visits last year. We've never had numbers even close to that,” Caldwell says.

The motto in the emergency department and across the health system’s entire Upstate footprint is “Faith, Hope, and Expertise.”

“This hospital has delivered quality care since its inception. I inherited that. I've had the privilege of running many hospitals in many states, and the physicians here are awesome,” Caldwell says.

“I think every hospital gives great care,” he says. “Our difference may be that we try to stay true to who we are. We welcome people, regardless of faith, creed, ethnicity or beliefs. We give excellent care. And we also care for their mind, body and spirit. A patient is not just a person in a bed or a chair. A patient is a whole being, and we are driven by that.”

In the tradition of the Sisters of St. Francis, Bon Secours St. Francis also continues outreach into the community and has longstanding relationships with neighborhoods, Caldwell says.

Last year, the health system contributed more than $43 million to the community through activities, education, and subsidized and charitable health services, Caldwell says.

A mammography coach (with another on the way) and a primary care coach deliver services to people who can’t visit a traditional facility. And Bon Secours Legacy Early College Health Center opened in 2021 to serve the school and nearby residents.

“We want to be a part of the community. We want to support the community,” Caldwell says. “We do things that people may not consider healthcare, but it is about the health and the well-being of the community.”

Project SEARCH helps young people who are finishing high school. “Most are on the autism spectrum, and we train them in the hospital for a school year and help them find employment in the community,” he says.

The hospital also contributes to Jasmine Road, a residential program for women survivors of sex trafficking. Bon Secours Wellness Arena provides name recognition and promotes community programs.

The healthcare system’s Community Health team, led by Rev. Sean Dogan, who is also the pastor at Long Branch Baptist Church, partnered with the American Heart Association to equip barbers and beauticians in the area with blood pressure cuffs. Dogan and his team have also held meetings to distribute information about prostate health and colorectal cancer.

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Caldwell credits the entire hospital staff … doctors, nurses, chaplains, support staff, administrators, everyone … for the health system’s patient care, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our staff was just fantastic. They were a miracle and a blessing,” he says.

Caldwell – who began his career as a registered nurse, then managed hospitals from Texas to Ohio to Tennessee – is thrilled to be settled in the Upstate with his family.

“It's exciting to be the place where physicians want to practice, where our staff wants to work … But most of all, where patients want to receive care,” he says.

“Quality care is the baseline. We are also the healthcare system that will sit with you, hold your hand, pray with you when you need it, and call you by name.”

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Bon Secours St. Francis' Matt Caldwell keeps hospital's focus on its mission