In 1889, the Sisters learned of a dilapidated 12-bed, three-story house named St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, Kansas.
[5] In 1893, the Sisters purchased a new building and began expanding the services of St. Francis Hospital.
The Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother have continued their growth in the health care and education ministries in the United States as well as internationally.
[8] The first congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph was formed by six women under the direction of a Jesuit priest, Jean Pierre Medaille, in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, in 1650.
[9] Focused on education, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita opened a school in Newton, Kansas in 1883.
"[5] On October 1, 1995, the sponsoring ministries of St. Francis Regional Medical Center and St. Joseph Medical Center, the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother and the Sisters St. Joseph, came together to form Via Christi Health System.
[5] Via Christi Health announced in November 2011 a plan to acquire Wichita Clinic, an independent physicians group.
[15] Ascension Via Christi Health fully/partially owns or manages 12 hospitals and 15 senior villages and nursing homes throughout Kansas, where it employs more than 10,000 people, including 300 doctors and 117 mid-level providers.