About Us
The Rule of Benedict directs: "Let care be given the sick, that they may be served as Christ." This was the call the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, South Dakota heeded when they came Cañon City, Colorado more than 80 years ago. The Sisters responded to a plea from Abbot Leonard Schwinn of Holy Cross Abbey in 1938. Abbot Schwinn was searching for nuns to take over the Fremont County Doctors' Hospital founded in Cañon City in 1917 and located at 432 Greenwood. This began a mission of healing and ministry that would continue until 1994.
A total of six Sisters had arrived by November of 1938. Working all day, seven days a week, these women dedicated their lives to the health and well being of the citizens of Fremont County. Sister Maurita, quoted in the Pueblo Chieftain in May 1988 said, "There were no days off. We had no such things in those days. There wasn't much time for anything but work." And work they did. Together they laid the groundwork for the future of nonprofit religious-based health care in Fremont County.
They first purchased a larger building to house the hospital (the former Y.M.C.A. building at 431 Macon Avenue) and extensively remodeled it. It was named Thomas More Hospital in honor of the English martyr who lived according to the teachings of his faith.
In 1942, it was renamed Saint Thomas More Hospital. In 1968, with the donation of 10 acres of land and the fund-raising efforts of the community, our current hospital was built at 1338 Phay Avenue. The move allowed St. Thomas More to diversify into such areas as home health care, long term health care and rehabilitation services, services not usually available in rural hospitals at that time.
Like its predecessors, our current facility has been remodeled several times in the last thirty years to better serve the needs of our patients. Extensive remodeling in 1996 occurred in the ER and outpatient surgery areas and provided for a new main lobby. In the summer and fall of 2000, a new, "updated" look was given to the patient rooms and nursing station in the medical/surgical wing.
The Rule of Benedict directs: "Let care be given the sick, that they may be served as Christ."
In 1994, the Benedictine Sisters turned the reins of St. Thomas More Hospital over to the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Ohio, while still maintaining great interest in the hospital's success. Two years later, the Sisters of Charity Health Services of Colorado and PorterCare Adventist Health System formed a new, nonprofit, statewide-integrated health care delivery system known as Centura Health. St. Thomas More Hospital is now an affiliate of Centura Health. In 2005, St. Thomas More Hospital underwent an exciting expansion to meet the growing needs of the communities we serve. The project included new, private patient rooms, expanded radiology and Emergency Room departments, a new surgery suite, lab and Intensive Care Unit, and an innovative Health & Fitness Center featuring a warm water therapy pool.
Today, the Benedictine heritage lives on as we strive to carry on their mission and good works.
Yankton Benedictine Sisters Fund
The legacy of St. Thomas More Hospital, that started more than 85 years ago by the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, South Dakota, continues today. When the Sisters were called back to South Dakota after their service in Canon City, they left a community outreach endowment with the St. Thomas More Hospital Foundation. It was their vision to continue serving our community long after they returned home to resume their service at Sacred Heart Monastery.
The endowment funds are specifically designated to improve the health and wellness of our community. Non-profit Organizations in Fremont County are encouraged to apply for program or equipment funding.
Purpose
The Yankton Benedictine Sisters Fund, a gift to St. Thomas More Hospital Foundation, supports Fremont County community health projects, with the provision that monies may not be used to support capital projects.
The St. Thomas More Hospital Foundation as a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization dedicated to building a healthier community through the support of the hospital’s mission and continues to support the programs and services of the hospital impacting patients in the Fremont County area.
Why Do We Have a Foundation?
- To help support our patients
- Our patients – through the Sisters of Charity Patient Financial Assistance Fund
- To help our employees
- Associate Financial Assistance Fund
- Scholarship Fund
- To help support our hospital programs and services
- Hospital Support Fund and Greatest Needs – to ensure quality health care
- To help our community – providing quality health care close to home.
Today, in the 21st century, St. Thomas More Hospital is a modern community resource facility providing services both locally and throughout Fremont County.
Today we are just as committed as those pioneering women to maintain and nurture our faith-inspired health care.
Mission, Vision, Values
The Mission, Vision and Values of the local organization align with our sponsor—CommonSpirit Health. St. Thomas More Health Foundation is recognized as a foundation within the Mountain Region. CommonSpirit is one of the largest health systems in the nation dedicated to advancing health for all people, including those who are most vulnerable. It was formed in 2019 by Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) and Dignity Health and has thousands of care sites across the country.
This integration with CommonSpirit benefits patients, employees and communities including—
- Smooth access to a broad range of world-renowned clinical expertise.
- Relationships with top academic institutions.
- Nurse and clinician development initiatives.
- Award-winning employee-support programs.
- Sharing expertise and clinical best practices.
- Respect for the legacy as an outstanding regional health system.
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