Legislative Affairs

SSM Health Care is a vibrant organization whose mission was developed with input from nearly 3,000 employees:

“Through our exceptional health care services,
we reveal the healing presence of God.”

SSM Health Care exists to care for the people of its communities regardless of their ability to pay. Our commitment to exceptional care has been recognized nationally and in each of the states where we operate. National and locale recognition includes: quality awards, safety awards, clinical recognition, and employer of choice by AARP and others. Our patient satisfaction and clinical performance indicators routinely rank better than average.

The system began with five religious sisters who journeyed to St. Louis in 1872 from Germany to be of service to people in need. In their early ledgers, the sisters listed patients who could not pay for their care as “Our Dear Lord’s.” To this day, SSM ensures discounts for people without health insurance. Based in St. Louis, the system is sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary and operates 20 acute-care hospitals and two nursing homes in four states: Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma.

SSM has more than 24,000 employees, 5,000 physicians and 5,000 volunteers. It is the first health-care recipient of the 2002 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the first large health system to go tobacco-free inside and out. Forward-looking, SSM is implementing an electronic health record in all its hospitals. Below, employees celebrated after each was honored with a Courageous Leadership Award at the 2008 SSM Leadership Conference. The award recognized employees for their leadership in accomplishing SSM's mission.