Our History
Choose a healthcare system that stands the test of time. St. Bernards Healthcare has more than 120 years of growth, service and progress in northeast Arkansas and southeast Missouri.
1900
St. Bernards began when a malaria fever epidemic spread throughout northeast Arkansas. The Olivetan Benedictine Sisters were asked to help take care of the sick. They purchased a six-room frame house on East Matthews in Jonesboro and set up rooms with cots for beds and covered orange crates for washstands. On July 5, 1900, St. Bernards Hospital took its first patients.
The hospital was named St. Bernards after the Sisters’ patron saint, Bernard Tolomei, who founded the Olivetan Benedictine Congregation in 1319. He and about 80 of his monks cared for the sick in Italy during the Bubonic Plague.
From those humble beginnings, St. Bernards Healthcare has evolved as the area’s premier healthcare provider, thanks to those who have planned, worked, volunteered and contributed on its behalf.
1920–1930s
The hospital saw steady growth throughout the years, but with this growth came overcrowding. The Sisters and community leaders began to develop plans to expand the hospital to a 60-bed facility in 1923. However, by the end of 1929, the citizens of Jonesboro had fallen on hard times as the Great Depression took its toll on America. St. Bernards was no exception. In January 1931, the Sisters took on the challenge of providing healthcare in addition to feeding patients in the face of food scarcity.
1940s
In the 1940s, war was raging in Europe. Jonesboro and St. Bernards Hospital were experiencing growth, and plans were drawn for a new addition to the hospital, despite the dire situation America faced overseas.
1950s
In 1950, St. Bernards had been serving patients for 50 years. The hospital continued to grow, and efforts were underway to raise funds again for a new addition. The expansion reflected the Sisters’ commitment to serve those in need to the best of their ability.
1960s
By the 1960s, the hospital hired its first lay administrator and continued to serve those in need. In 1967, Mother Benedicta Boeckmann founded the Pastoral Care Department to minister to patients of all faiths and to welcome local ministers as they visited with members of their congregations. This department helped St. Bernards better live out the Sisters’ belief in caring for the whole person: physically, emotionally and spiritually.
1970s
By 1974, St. Bernards had grown to a 274-bed facility and was the fourth-largest medical facility in Arkansas, excluding Little Rock.
1980s
Physicians performed St. Bernards Medical Center's first coronary artery bypass surgery. Other services added in the 1980s included a cardiac catheterization laboratory, balloon angioplasty, sleep disorders center, helicopter landing pad and MRI unit.
1990s
The 1990s were exciting and challenging years for St. Bernards. At the beginning of the decade, the medical center was recognized for its quality and range of services. These new and burgeoning amenities had been the direct result of great leadership and the efforts to provide Christ-like healing to the community. St. Bernards Behavioral Health was also brought into the umbrella of services, and two new facilities were added: St. Bernards Village and St. Bernards Dialysis.
2000s
The hospital continued to expand services, adding a variety of new technologies. On Matthews Medical Mile, a host of health services were added, including One Day Surgery, an Imaging Center, Flo & Phil Jones Hospice House, Total Life Healthcare, and St. Bernards Health & Wellness.
2010s
St. Bernards Healthcare continued to expand well into the 2010s, including opening St. Bernards Villa, the only memory care community in the area. The region’s only neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) also opened, helping families receive care for their babies without having to travel to Little Rock or Memphis.
St. Bernards Cancer Center and St. Bernards Heart & Vascular – Jonesboro were renovated and updated in the late 2010s, offering expanded facilities for patients. In 2018, care extended beyond state lines as St. Bernards opened its first clinic in Kennett, Missouri. The next year, St. Bernards leased the hospital in Pocahontas, renaming the facility St. Bernards Five Rivers Medical Center.
In the fall of 2019, a new four-story tower changed the face of downtown Jonesboro. The tower provides a new front door to St. Bernards Medical Center. This tower houses all surgical and intensive care services for the medical center, allowing the hospital to expand services for patients in need.
2020s
St Bernards was on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as we cared for patients during the malaria epidemic over a century ago, St. Bernards Healthcare stepped up as a community defense against the spread of an infectious disease. By providing treatment and vaccines, we helped lower infection and death rates in Arkansas and southeast Missouri.
The work done by St. Bernards is that of genuine Catholic Christian charity as a healing ministry of Jesus to the sick. The Sisters, physicians, healthcare professionals and volunteers have demonstrated their commitment to the health and well-being of the people in Jonesboro, Craighead County and all of northeast Arkansas for more than 120 years and will continue to hold that commitment.
