Samaritan Health System was a hospital network and health care system which was located in Arizona from 1911 to 1999, when it merged to become part of

Banner Health Banner Health is a non-profit health system in the United States, based in Phoenix, Arizona. It operates 33 hospitals and several specialized facilities across 6 states. The health system is the largest employer in Arizona and one of the largest ...

History

In 1911, when

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

was a

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

, the first hospital in the city of

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

was started by a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Deaconess The ministry of a deaconess is a ministry for women in some Protestant, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox churches to provide pastoral care, especially for other women, and which may carry a liturgical role. The word comes from the Greek ...

, Miss Lulu Clifton, who was cured of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

by living in the dry Arizona climate. She attempted to repay the community by working to establish Arizona Deaconess Hospital, a Methodist entity. The hospital provided care to those with

respiratory disease Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the trachea, bronchi, ...

s and helped meet the medical needs of the small but growing community. The hospital's name was changed to Good Samaritan Hospital in 1928. Community leaders were actively involved in the board of the hospital and helped obtain financing to serve the Phoenix's rapidly expanding population. A nursing school operated on site at the hospital from 1924–1973. Good Samaritan Hospital eventually grew to accommodate 720 beds, becoming a non-profit teaching facility, the largest

tertiary hospital A tertiary referral hospital (also called a tertiary hospital, tertiary referral center, tertiary care center, or tertiary center) is a hospital that provides tertiary care, which is a level of health care obtained from specialists in a large hos ...

in the state, and a level one

trauma center A trauma center, or trauma centre, is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major traumatic injuries such as falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. The term "trauma center" may be used incorr ...

. The 1950s and 1960s brought explosive growth to Phoenix and the need to rapidly expand hospital services in a cost-effective manner. In the 1960s, Good Samaritan’s board, at the request of surrounding community hospital boards, took over the ownership and management of hospitals in Mesa/Tempe and Maryvale/Glendale communities. This resulted in a 1576 bed four Valley hospital system consisting of Good Samaritan, Desert Samaritan, Maryvale Samaritan, and Glendale/Thunderbird Samaritan Hospitals, creating one of the first not for profit multi hospital systems. To streamline costs, many overhead services were centralized. This new health network was initially called Samaritan Health Service and later Samaritan Health System. Stephen Morris, former Good Samaritan Administrator, became CEO for Samaritan, overseeing its growth and consolidation over the next two decades. A board of directors made up of the top executives of Phoenix entities lead the growth and direction of the system. By the 1970s, Phoenix was the ninth largest metropolitan area in the country. Samaritan’s management and board decided to extend services and management expertise to other regional hospitals and clinics such as

Lake Havasu Lake Havasu () is a large reservoir formed by Parker Dam on the Colorado River, on the border between San Bernardino County, California, and Mohave County, Arizona. Lake Havasu City sits on the Arizonan side of the lake with its Californian coun ...

San Clemente San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement" ) is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. It was named in 1925 after the Spanish colonial island (which was named after a Pope from the first century). Located in the O ...

, White Mountains,

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Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a mile (). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon Nati ...

, and Williams. The 1980s brought major capital replacement and improvement of the four valley hospitals as well as vertical and horizontal expansion to meet the needs of the community. Two community health plans were added: Samaritan Health Plan, a commercial managed care plan, and Arizona Physicians IPA (Independent Physicians Association), established to support implementation of

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

in Arizona. Further expansion included nursing home and behavioral health facilities, air ambulance, and other outpatient services. The sale of Samaritan Health System to a large for-profit entity was also considered but rejected by Samaritan’s Board. The 1990s was a decade of reorganization, partnerships, streamlining of asset ownership and consideration of merger partners to further strengthen the organization and meet the capital needs of the future. In 1999, Samaritan Health System merged with Lutheran Health Systems to form

, a multi-state non-profit health care system.

References

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History

References

See also