Franciscan Health

Franciscan Health
Franciscan Alliance, Inc.
Formation	1974; 50 years ago
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	1515 West Dragoon Trail; Mishawaka, Indiana, U.S.
Services	Health care
Affiliations	Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration
Staff	18,000
Website	www.franciscanhealth.org
Formerly called	Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc. (1974–2010)

Franciscan Health is the name under which the Franciscan Alliance, Inc., a Catholic healthcare system, operates. It operates eleven hospitals serving Indiana and one hospital in Illinois and employs over 18,000 full- and part-time employees. Franciscan Alliance is under the sponsorship of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, Inc.

History

Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in 1863 in Olpe, Germany. Drawn to the ideals of Francis of Assisi, Mother Theresia cared for poor and neglected children and for persons in need of healthcare. In 1875, she sent sisters to Indiana where the mission grew to include hospitals, schools, orphanages and homes for the aged. St. Elizabeth Hospital, now Franciscan Health Lafayette Central in Lafayette, was the first facility founded by the sisters in America.^[1] In 1931 the sisters divided into eastern and western provinces, the eastern centered at Mishawaka, Indiana.

In 1974, the sisters of the eastern province incorporated their healthcare ministry under the name of the "Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc." In 1986, the corporate offices were moved to their current location on the provincialate grounds in Mishawaka.

In November 2010, Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc., changed its name to "Franciscan Alliance, Inc."^[2] In September 2016, Franciscan Alliance renamed its healthcare facilities using “Franciscan Health” and location, rather than the names of saints.^[3]

Franciscan Alliance Inc. v. Burwell

The group joined with eight states in filing a lawsuit against the federal government to vacate portions of Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which provided protections from discrimination on the basis of gender identity or reproductive choices. They alleged the rule compelled them "to provide gender transition services and abortion services against their religious beliefs and medical judgment".^[4]