In 1925, the Corbett mansion on Riverside Drive (the site of the
current Lourdes Hospital main campus) became home to a 25-bed
hospital. Bishop Daniel Curley of Syracuse asked the Daughters of
Charity, pioneers in Catholic health and hospital service, to come
to Binghamton to manage the new hospital, which was purchased with
funds contributed by concerned citizens.
The Daughters were well known for their
tradition of compassionate caring. That tradition began more than
365 years ago in France where St. Vincent de Paul insisted on
compassionate care of the sick. In the early 1800's, Elizabeth Ann
Seton, the first American-born saint, began the Daughters' Million
in the United States.
Through the commitment of the Daughters toLourdes, the Southern
Tier got its first recovery room, first intensive care unit, first
Hospice, first pain Management Center, first Electrodiagnostic
Laboratory and, of course, the Regional Cancer Center. These are
just some of the many contributions Lourdes has made as a
cornerstone community institution. In recent years, Lourdes has
looked beyond the hospital campus, establishing primary care sites
throughout the region and making health care portable and
accessible with our Mission in Motion vehicles.
In November 1999, the Daughters of Charity National Health System
(DCNHS) and the Sisters of St. Joseph Health System (SSJHS) merged
into a co-sponsored Catholic health ministry known as Ascension
Health. In 2002, Carondelet Health System, run by the Sisters of
St. Joseph of Carondelet, became part of Ascension Health. Ascension Health is
the nation's largest Catholic and nonprofit health
system. Lourdes is a member of Ascension Health and continues
to serve the community in which we live.
Much has changed in the community and at Lourdes since a small
25-bed hospital opened on Riverside Drive more than 80 years ago,
but there remains one constant: the commitment of the Daughters of
Charity and their Mission of caring. We invite you to explore the
many excellent health care services we provide.
