"My favorite memory of St. Vincent Charity is from 25 years ago. I was a brand new RN and was here for a job interview. I had been to other hospitals interviewing, however when I came to St. Vincent Charity I noticed something different. Everyone that I passed  in the halls greeted me, smiled and all made eye contact. This was not the case at any of the other hospitals I had been to previously. I am happy to say that this tradition continues to this day here at our medical center. That is why I took the job here and that is why I’ve stayed."

- Ivy Woike, RN, Intensive Care Unit

"Before my grandfather’s death in 1994, he received excellent care from the top-notch cardiologists at St. Vincent Charity. My aunt was a really outstanding nurse for decades at your hospital as well, and so was my cousin. I worked with my cousin on 4A for about a year and a half -- she was head nurse and I was a mental health worker right out of college.

I remember taking breaks occasionally in those days to visit my grandfather when he was an inpatient. I also had the privilege of taking care of him with my Aunt on the night before he died. Your hospital gave me the strength I needed for that. He passed away in the afternoon with all of his family: his wife, five daughters, and 13 grandchildren -- by his side. That was 20 years ago this September, but I still remember it as if it were yesterday. St. Vincent Charity is a wonderful community resource for Clevelanders from all walks of life. For that, I am abundantly thankful."

- Kathleen, former Caregiver and friend of SVCMC

"Years ago, Rosary Hall was located on 6A and part of that unit was a general medical and hospice. One of the most beautiful moments of my career came as I working as the hospice nurse. I was caring for a 90-year-old hospice patient, whose teenage granddaughter was staying the night with her. The patient was comfortable and sleeping well. The granddaughter fell asleep too. Around 5 or 6 a.m., I assessed that the patient had passed in her sleep. It was now my job to awaken the granddaughter and inform her. I woke her up and asked if there were any family members she would like me to call. It did not take long for her to realize what had happened. She called her mother and then just stood at the window, looking away from her grandmother and staring blankly at the skyline of downtown Cleveland. About 20 minutes later, she was still staring out the window, unmoving. Her mother, the patient’s daughter, arrived and IMMEDIATELY went to her daughter’s side by the window. She did not even look at her mother; she went straight to comfort her daughter who was clearly in need. It was a few minutes until she was able to turn from her daughter to go to her mother’s side.

It really illustrated the beauty of the mother-daughter bond, even in the extreme circumstances of the passing of a loved one. To this day, I have vivid memories of the room the patient was in, the faces of the patient and granddaughter and the blank stare as the granddaughter waited for her mother. I felt blessed to be able to share the moment and to help the family cope with their loss."

- John Reitz, 6B, Rosary Hall

“I work at St. Vincent Charity as a PRN in the Microbiology department. I always look forward to the weekends when I have to come in to work. My fellow Caregivers are like family to me. I don’t use the word “family” lightly. They are so kind and willing to help in times of need. In general, the hospital staff is also very friendly. It’s a culture that I wish every hospital would adopt. A simple greeting and a smile mean so much. I love it here and I am glad to be celebrating 150 years with St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.”

–Abraham, Microbiology

“I have worked at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center for 42 years. During that time I have had many wonderful experiences. I’ve worked with countless kind and caring people, many who have become lifelong friends. The experience I wanted to share however is my mother’s. When she was a baby, she swallowed an open safety pin. Her parents, who spoke very little English, took her by streetcar to St. Vincent Charity. There wasn’t much they could do for her at the hospital other than to advise my grandparents to let nature take its course. The pin came out 28 days later. My grandfather could never say enough about the kind Sisters who took such good care of them and their baby. He often spoke about the wonderful care they received here. My mom recovered completely and is celebrating her 90th birthday this October in excellent health! Thank you, St. Vincent Charity!”

-Jan, Information Services

"I was a Candy Striper at St. Vincent Charity in 1964 and 1965. I rode two buses from our home to be a volunteer. I believe I came once a week when I was a freshman and sophomore in high school.I transported patients from their room to the X-ray area. I loved volunteering and I felt I was doing something very meaningful.

When I returned in 2003 to complete my Clinical Pastoral Supervisory Education I was disoriented with all the changes that had taken place over all those years! I completed my training and was recruited to Mercy Hospital in Springfield, MO. I was there for a number of years before I relocated back home to Cleveland about nine months ago. On May 1, 2014 I began a part-time position at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center as a supervisor in our Clinical Pastoral Education Program. I am very proud to say that with this many comings and goings, I must belong here.

I now have another wonderful opportunity to serve the students who are in training to become chaplains. Congratulations on this amazing anniversary and for the 150 year commitment of the Sisters of Charity to the City of Cleveland!"

-Sister Nancy B., OSU, Pastoral Care

"I have been working at St. Vincent Charity for almost 18 months. I work on the administration side of the hospital, but I really like the fact that we are all called Caregivers and not employees. The mission that we are carrying out and God’s ministry of healing is so prevalent throughout the hospital. I love working at a faith-based hospital. One of my favorite memories is from my first day of orientation. All of the new Caregivers attended a ceremony in the hospital’s beautiful chapel, where we had our hands blessed and heard the following prayer:

'May we be aware of our responsibility to be God’s voice, hands, and heart for all of those with whom we come in contact this day and every day of our service at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.'

I take this responsibility very seriously. I also love all of the opportunities we have to serve others in our local community through the hospital’s outreach efforts to organizations such as Marion Sterling School, the Cleveland Food Bank, Joseph’s Home, women’s shelters and more. I get the chance to help others that I may not have known were in need.

- Helen, Office of Graduate Medical Education

"Reflecting on my many years of serving as a Chaplain and recalling the many grace filled moments I spent with numerous numbers of patients and their families as I ministered in good times and sad; be it an emergency situation, pre-surgery, post-surgery, daily spiritual visits. My own spiritual life was greatly enriched by these experiences. I’m grateful to our Caregivers and am proud to minister to and with them in the name of Jesus as others that we service recognize something “special” about the loving care they receive and/or their loved one received during their time at SVCMC. As I was going through my training as a chaplain I recall reflecting on my ministry of “Be” – being who we are, being present in Jesus’ name and being one with those we serve.Blessed and happy 150th anniversary SVCMC Caregivers!"

- Sister Jane, CSA, Clinical Pastoral Education

"I began working at St. Vincent Charity as a Pharmacy Technician in 1962. In 1973, we began the first clinical pharmacy program in a community hospital in the US. In fact, we were the first program in Cleveland. We located the pharmacy on 6 West. We covered both ICU and the neurosurgical wing. I went on clinical rounds daily with Drs. Bishop, Tank and Suresky, all neurosurgeons, and directly worked with fellows from the Cleveland Clinic. We had staff teaching on new medications and also were involved with the residents on drug interactions, etc. We took drug histories of the patients and also counseled patients with nursing upon discharge. Many pharmacists throughout Northeast Ohio came to do a site visit of the clinical program at St. Vincent Charity. The program was even featured in a healthcare magazine called, Hospital Topics."

-Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA, Congregational Leader, Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine

"I began working at St. Vincent Charity as a Pharmacy Technician in 1962. At that time we had a huge outpatient department. We dispensed medications to hundreds and packaged aspirin, phenacetin with codeine, chloroform liniment, ETH with codeine, mouthwash, etc. Sr. Mariel German, CSA, was Director of Pharmacy. We all ate lunch together around the main table in the back. I used to stock the floors with medications. When I would visit Rosary Hall, I saw many of the men that I had gotten to know in the neighborhood where my father had a business. The pharmacists let me "fill" prescriptions under their direct supervision and approval. Sr. Mariel and I closed the pharmacy each night at 5:30. As we were putting out the lights, checking each door, etc. we talked about religious life and my desire to become a Sister. That was the beginning of my prayer and discernment of entering the community. 

One night when we were the only staff present, Sr. Mariel said to let her know when the delivery man from DePaul Maternity Home came. A man came and asked for Sr. Mariel. Me thinking it was the delivery man from DePaul let him in and said that I would get Sr. Mariel. When I told her he was here, she was very embarrassed. Who I determined was the "delivery man" was actually Dr. Earl B. Kay, noted worldwide cardiovascular surgeon."

- Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA, Congregational Leader, Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine

"Nearly thirteen years ago a country mouse became a city mouse.I was the country mouse and Cleveland was the place that citified me.When I moved to Cleveland I lived, played, and worked downtown.I chose St. Vincent Charity Medical Center and Dr. Adnan Tahir to care for my medical needs and I was kept healthy and thriving while I stretched my country legs in the big city. I fell in love with Cleveland, Dr. Tahir, and SVCMC.We all know that the atmosphere of SVCMC is permeated with a sense of family, and for me all those years ago, Dr. Tahir and his medical staff truly made me feel as if I belonged here.As time passed and way led onto way, I eventually found myself living, playing, and working in the eastern suburbs and, only for the sake of convenience, sought healthcare closer to my home. 

Fast forward eleven years and I am living in Medina and working at Kaiser Permanente.In light of a longer commute and a desire to pay less at the gas pump, I traded in my gas guzzling Jeep Grand Cherokee for a PT Cruiser.As I was test driving the car, the salesman shared with me that the car had been gently used by only one previous owner, his mother-in-law.He joked that the miles on the odometer were accumulated from her many trips to and from SVCMC, where she was an avid volunteer.Shortly after purchasing the car, I had the unfortunate experience of becoming unemployed after having my job eliminated during the buyout of Kaiser Permanente. 

You’ve probably heard it said that “all roads lead to Rome.”In my experience, all roads lead me to St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.  In February of this year my five month bout of unemployment ended when I accepted the position of Residency Coordinator in the Office of Graduate Medical Education here at SVCMC.I’m so happy to be serving/working here and for the opportunity to become intimately acquainted with downtown Cleveland again.I get here every day in the PT Cruiser, who strangely seems to navigate here without needing much assistance from me :)"

-Jennifer Kenney, Residency Coordinator, Office of Graduate Medical Education

"I have been at St. Vincent Charity since 1962. First as a student in Radiology under Dr. Emmett O'Malley and then as a registered Radiologic Technologist. I could probably write a book about all the changes I have seen during my years here.When I first started we were still developing films by hand in wet tanks. The following year we moved to our new department and got the first automatic processor, a Kodak Xomat. No more wet tanks! The unit itself was about 10-12 feet long with one end in a small darkroom and the rest out into the workroom. We had the first automatic processor in the city.

Among the many firsts here at St. Vincent Charity was our mammography accreditation by the ACR. We were the first hospital-based one in Cleveland, with the others being on mobile units. Since then, we have consistently received passing credentials. This is what makes St. Vincent Charity special--the commitment to quality and innovation."

-Angela Hocevar, Radiologic Technologist

"I started out as a Student Nurse Intern in 2005, and I fell in love with SVCMC. Everyone was nice to me and it was like family. I loved that it was small and that everyone knew each other. I graduated nursing school in 2006, but I owed another hospital a 2 year work requirement, but as soon as I had been an RN for one year I returned to what felt like home as a PRN RN. I now work full time for SVCMC in the Quality Management department as a Utilization Management Nurse; I have literally “grown up” in my career at this hospital. I am very happy that I found this place and I am even happier that I really enjoy what I do!"

- Stephanie Caldwell, Quality Management