St. Joseph Medical Center is located on a hillside overlooking the port and downtown Tacoma. Franciscan Health System's first hospital, St. Joseph Medical Center is a regional medical center certified for 340 beds. The medical center is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) and participates in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The physicians and staff of St. Joseph serve the neighboring communities in the greater Tacoma/Pierce County area, and portions of King and Kitsap counties. The mission of the not-for-profit, faith-based organization is to nurture the healing ministry of the Church, emphasize human dignity and social justice, and create healthier communities.
The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia founded St. Joseph Medical Center in 1891. A training school for nurses was established at St. Joseph Hospital in 1900; it offered a two-and-a-half year course of instruction guided by the school founders. In 1906 it became a hospital of choice for women to have their babies. In 1974 the St. Joseph medical tower was completed, taking a prominent place in the Tacoma skyline; it was later expanded with a four-story medical pavilion in 1985. In 1990, St. Francis Community Hospital joins St. Clare Hospital and St. Joseph Medical Center to form Franciscan Health System. The outpatient Center at St. Joseph Medical Center opened in 2004, featuring the most modern medical technologies, a serene healing environment, a prompt patient admissions process and availability of a wide range of services.
St. Joseph Medical Center is among the first hospitals in the nation to use technology that enables its cardiologists to daily monitor their most at-risk heart-failure patients at home. For patients, this remote monitoring capability is like being seen by their doctor every day but without time-consuming trips to the doctor's office. The St. Joseph Critical Care Unit is a specialized area with highly trained staff and sophisticated equipment designed to care for the sickest patients. Critical Care patients include those who have just completed complex surgeries or those who have suffered serious injuries.