The 150-year Evolution of Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center

by Kimberly Wolf, DO VP Medical Affairs, Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center

From its opening 150 years ago as St. Joseph Hospital to the present day, Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center has faithfully provided high-quality health care to all in need.

The story of its evolution began in 1873 when Monsignor George Bornemann, pastor of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, answered the City of Reading’s call for an inpatient hospital. He and the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia opened a 12-bed hospital to provide a place of healing for the sick, injured, and poor.

Century of growth and innovation

St. Joseph Hospital’s bed capacity and services quickly expanded to include infant’s, children’s, neurological, dental, and other services. In addition to creating an advanced laboratory, the hospital purchased such innovative technology as a basal metabolism machine, a powerful X-ray machine, electrocardiograph, a stethograph and an iron lung. The hospital also launched a diabetic clinic and the area’s first blood bank.

During the decades that followed, St. Joseph Hospital expanded nearly a full city block from its original site at 13th and Walnut streets to Elm Street and multiple renovation and expansion projects maxed out the usable square footage within the hospital’s footprint. St. Joseph Medical Center acquired its current Downtown Campus at Sixth and Walnut streets in a merger with Community General Hospital in 1997. Nine years later, it built a new, 204-bed hospital along Route 183 in Bern Township. In 2015, the hospital joined Penn State Health, increasing access to advanced specialty care for conditions such as cancer, high-risk obstetrics issues and neurologic disorders.

Advanced heart care for Berks County

Three years later, the health system acquired Berks Cardiology, ensuring patients had access to the most advanced diagnosis and treatment of heart conditions in Berks County. For 50 years, Berks Cardiology physicians have been at the forefront of innovation in interventional heart care, finding new ways to treat heart disease and improve patient outcomes.

Penn State Health continues to recruit a growing number of expert vascular surgeons, cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiologists and invest in leading-edge technology so patients don’t need to travel to Philadelphia or Baltimore for even the most complex heart and vascular conditions.

Some of those investments include:

• A new electrophysiology laboratory fully equipped with stateof-the-art technology to help improve the quality of life for patients with chronic or potentially dangerous heart rhythm problems

• A hybrid cardiac suite that combines the features of a cardiac catheterization lab with those of an operating room to enable more complex interventions for structural and coronary heart disease and endovascular aneurysms

• A full spectrum of noninvasive cardiac imaging technology, including PET/CT scan and an industry-leading MRI that adapts to patients’ bodies for a more precise, fast and comfortable exam

• Innovative medical device technologies that offer less invasive procedures and quicker recovery, such as the WATCHMAN, which reduces the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, TAVR, a minimally invasive option for aortic valve replacement, and Transcarotid Artery Revascularization or TCAR, which treats carotid artery disease

National awards

St. Joseph Medical Center has also earned national recognition for the exceptional care it offers Berks County patients. Its recent awards include:

• Spring 2023 “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group

• Healthgrades Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Attack

• 2022 American College of Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry Chest Pain – Myocardial Infarction Registry Platinum Performance Award

• 2022 American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines –Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll

• The Joint Commission’s Advanced Primary Stroke Center Certification

• The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification in Heart Failure

Expanding mental health care

Although health care providers across the country continue to face challenges with recruiting staff, inflation and supply chain interruptions, Penn State Health has taken actions to ensure its hospitals can continue to deliver on its vital mission. At the same time, it has taken definitive steps to improve access to communitybased behavioral health resources, an ongoing need exacerbated by the pandemic.

Using its Behavioral Health OnDemand platform, patients are able to access licensed psychologists, psychiatrists or counselors in a secure, virtual visit. Patients can sign up at no cost and see a provider on a smartphone or computer.

In a move to help primary care physicians better care for patients seeking behavioral health services, providers and staff from Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine have been sharing their expertise with physicians across the state through Project Echo (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes). Teams of specialists educate and train primary care physicians on behavioral health issues and provide them with the most recent research and therapies to help them care for their patients.

Visit Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center’s website to learn more about the full range of diagnostic, medical and surgical services it offers.