Heritage display wall dedicated at Trinity Medical Center West in Steubenville

STEUBENVILLE -- A two-panel Heritage wall detailing the history of health care in Steubenville officially was blessed and dedicated Friday afternoon near the Gill Lobby at Trinity Medical Center West.

"I came here in 1979 when we had 12 Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, working at St. John Medical Center. The original Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania came to Steubenville in 1931 to serve at the Gill Hospital in downtown Steubenville," related Sister Paula Blevins, a laboratory supervisor at Trinity West.

"We recently celebrated our 100-year anniversary of our founding as a religious order. It is very exciting to see the heritage wall in place. The first panel is the heritage of when we went into health care with our order, while the second panel shows when we came to Steubenville," she said.

"I look at all of the changes that have happened over the years since 1931 and we are so glad we are still here," she added.

Sister Paula and Sister Nancy Ferguson, director of mission integration at Trinity Health System, assisted Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton during the blessing of the Heritage Wall.

"We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. I am happy we did this wall as a legacy for people to see. They lay people who work at Trinity will carry on our legacy and the mission we started in 1931. It is now just Sister Paula and myself from the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania but the legacy will continue for another 100 years," commented Sister Nancy.

"Our sisters came here at the request of the Rev. Thomas Powers of St. Peter Catholic Church to assume the operations of the Gill Hospital. From that hospital we built St. John Medical Center and then 21 years ago we joined with Ohio Valley Hospital to become Trinity Health System," said Sister Nancy.

"For me to be here today is an understanding of Jesus Christ and what he has extended through Trinity Medical Center. We do not discriminate who we serve. We don't check your Catholic card when you come in our doors. We serve everyone regardless of their faith as Pope Francis calls us to do," Monforton said.

The two boards in the hallway from the main reception area to the Gill Lobby tell the story of the two predecessor organizations of Trinity Health System -- Ohio Valley Hospital and St. John Medical Center, going back to their respective foundings at Lacy Hotel and Gill Hospital.

Before Sylvania Franciscan Health joined Catholic Health Initiatives in late 2014, the SFH board discussed how the heritage of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, could be preserved in the health care ministries they established.

Working with Sister Nancy Surma, vice president of Mission Integration for SFH, the archives of the Sisters of St. Francis, and with pictures from each location, images were selected and texts written for eight locations.

At Trinity Health System, the heritage wall is in two sections.

The board on the left tells the story of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, and their involvement in health care.

The images on the board on the right move through the affiliation of the two institutions in 1996 and the 2016 change, which made Trinity Health System wholly owned and sponsored by Catholic Health Initiatives.

"We have such a long and rich history with Ohio Valley Hospital that follows the history of Steubenville.

"We are carrying forward the legacy of health care in this city and we are truly blessed to have the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, to help us maintain the tradition of health care that we will follow as we move forward," stated Trinity Health System Interim Chief Executive Officer Joe Tasse.